ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

ENCAMS

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the future funding of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign.

Richard Benyon: The environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy, is DEFRA's delivery partner on litter and local environmental quality issues. Details of the Government's continued grant to Keep Britain Tidy for the spending review period can be found on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/what/documents/defra-alb-allocations-101220.pdf

Forestry Commission: Land

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of each type of land owned by the Forestry Commission in each parliamentary constituency in Northamptonshire has been  (a) sold or  (b) leased in each of the last 10 years; and what public access conditions were stipulated in each case.

James Paice: The information on land sales is held at County level. The following table shows those areas of land sold by the Forestry Commission in Northamptonshire in the last 10 years, its status, and where access on foot has been dedicated under the provisions in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act.
	
		
			   Name of wood/land sold  Area (Ha)  Status and access 
			 2007 A43 Bypass, Hazelborough Wood 4 No access, part of a road improvement scheme. 
			 2009 Cuckoo Pen and The Linches, Lilford 51 Leasehold open market. No CRoW access. 
			 2009 Parke Copse, Wicken Rd 18 Leasehold, open market. No CRoW access. 
			 2009 Maidford Wood, Towcester 14 Freehold. Dedicated for access under CRoW. 
			 2009 Seawell Wood, Maidford 25 Freehold. Dedicated for access under CRoW. 
			 2010 Priesthay Wood, Brackley 6 Freehold. Dedicated for access under CRoW. 
			 2010 Wicken 79 Leasehold offered back to freeholder.

Pesticides

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on conducting a review under the Chemicals Regulations Directive of data on the effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on honey bees.

James Paice: Neonicotinoid insecticides are authorised through the rigorous EU pesticides approval process. Products are authorised in the UK after a national risk assessment. The independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) concluded that the 2009 Buglife report highlighted a need for data on the impacts of neonicotinoid pesticides on overwintering of bees in the risk assessment process. This issue had already been identified by regulators and is being addressed through changes to the EU regulatory data requirements. Government scientists have continued to keep up to date with emerging findings and we are supporting further work in this area.
	The Government have regularly considered the available evidence in this area and there is no need for an additional review.

Shale Gas

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether  (a) guidance and  (b) regulations issued by the Environment Agency have been modified to take into account the use of hydraulic fracturing for shale gas and coal bed methane.

Richard Benyon: Based on experience to date in the UK, we do not consider there is a need to modify any formal guidance or regulations, but this will be kept under review.
	The Environment Agency is the statutory body responsible for operating the robust regulatory regime that is in place in England and Wales to ensure that any environmental risks from the activities listed are controlled. This regime is backed up by both Government and Environment Agency guidance. The Environment Agency has produced a web page which explains its role in regulating these activities.

Water Supply: Housing

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the installation of trickle valves in household water pipes and systems by water companies in England.

Richard Benyon: Trickle valves would have the same health and social risks that underpin the ban on disconnection of household water supplies. We will not allow companies in England to use them.

PRIME MINISTER

BSkyB: News Corporation

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether he has discussed Newscorp's proposed acquisition of BSkyB with James Murdoch on or since 21 December 2010;
	(2)  whether he has discussed Newscorps' proposed acquisition of BSkyB with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport since 23 December 2010.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 February 2011,  Official Report, column 885W.

Sustainable Development

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Prime Minister if he will appoint a Minister for Sustainable Development in the Cabinet Office as recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee; and if he will make a statement.

David Cameron: The Government will announce details of their approach to sustainable development across government in the coming weeks.
	A formal response to the Environmental Audit Committee's report will be made in due course.

JUSTICE

Translation Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criteria are applied to determine the languages for which translation services are offered in the criminal justice system.

Crispin Blunt: Both interpretation services-which relate to the spoken word-and translation services-which relate to the written word-are made available as soon as an apparent need is identified, irrespective of the language involved. Additionally, in relation to criminal proceedings in or having a connection with Wales, interpretation and translation into and from Welsh is provided in accordance with the Welsh Language Act 1993.
	It is for each justice agency to decide into which languages it translates standard written material such as leaflets and posters.

Children in Care: Prosecutions

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been prosecuted under section 49 of the Children Act 1989 for illegally removing, keeping away, assisting or otherwise encouraging a child to run or stay away from a care placement in the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of persons proceeded against at the magistrates court under section 49 of the Children Act 1989 in England and Wales for 2005 to 2009 (latest available).
	Data for 2010 are planned for publication in the spring of 2011.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at the magistrates court under section 49 of the Children Act 1989 in England and Wales, 2005-09( 1,2,3) 
			  Statute  Offence description  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Children Act 1989 s.49 Taking, keeping, inducing, assisting or inciting a child away from the person having responsibility for care under a care order, emergency protection order or police protection 25 21 25 41 44 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

Courts: Damages

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what recent progress he has made in amending the discount rates that courts apply to the award of damages;
	(2)  what his most recent assessment is of progress in amending the discount rates applied by courts in respect of the award of damages; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Lord Chancellor is in the process of reviewing the discount rate. The review will be completed on as timely a basis as possible and an announcement will be made in due course.

Courts: Fines

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average collection rate of court fines was in  (a) England and  (b) Hendon constituency in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The payment rate is the official measure of the collection of financial penalties. The payment rate for Hendon constituency cannot be provided as HMCS systems do not have this level of detail. Hendon is part of the London region so the payment rate for that region is set out in the following table, as is the payment rate for England.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   England only  London region 
			   Payment rate  Payment rate excluding value of admin cancellation  Payment rate  Payment rate excluding value of admin cancellation 
			 2005-06 82 80 58 58 
			 2006-07 91 79 88 65 
			 2007-08 94 78 85 65 
			 2008-09 84 71 79 54 
			 2009-10 85 74 73 56

Employment Tribunals Service

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employment tribunals have awarded costs to the respondent because a claim was deemed to be frivolous or vexatious in each region in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Tribunals Service is currently collating this information. I will write to the hon. Member shortly.

European Court of Human Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been paid in legal aid and other funds from the public purse to support persons taking action in the European Court of Human Rights against  (a) the Government and  (b) other public bodies in the UK in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Legal aid in England and Wales is administered by the Legal Services Commission (LSC). The LSC does not fund any cases before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), although it may fund matters before the courts of England and Wales which may eventually conclude in the ECtHR.
	Legal aid for Scotland and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.

European Court of Human Rights

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cases against the UK are pending judgment at the European Court of Human Rights;
	(2)  how much the UK has paid in compensation as a consequence of judgments made against the UK by  (a) the European Court of Human Rights; and  (b) the European Court of Justice in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  what the cost to the public purse in  (a) legal and  (b) other costs was of the UK being a party to an action in (i) the European Court of Human Rights and (ii) the European Court of Justice in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan Djanogly: It will be necessary to make further inquiries and some of the information may not be available in the form requested without incurring disproportionate costs. I will write to the hon. Member with the information that is available as soon as inquiries have been made.

Judiciary: Equality

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what training is offered to immigration judges on gender and equality issues; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The content of training for the tribunals judiciary is the responsibility of the senior president of tribunals, not the Government. The Tribunals Service provides resources for the training. All immigration judges receive specific training on diversity and equal treatment issues before sitting, as part of their induction courses. The training focuses on four elements:
	Understanding the issues.
	The Judicial Studies Board's Equal Treatment Bench Book as a source of information.
	Developing judicial skills appropriate to fair treatment and equal treatment issues.
	The duty to challenge unacceptable behaviour.
	Specific diversity training has been provided to all immigration judges as part of continuation training events and residential refresher training events. Diversity training has now become an integral part of the immigration jurisdictions' training methodology, rather than being treated as an isolated topic.
	In response to the 2010 Stonewall report "No Going Back" together with the Supreme Court judgment in HJ (Iran) (FC) (Appellant) and HT (Cameroon) (FC) (Appellant)  v. Secretary of State for the Home Department (Respondent) and one other action, training on lesbian, gay and bisexual people and the asylum system has been incorporated into the training delivered to all immigration judges. This training uses materials which have been prepared with the input of both Stonewall and the United Kingdom Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group.

Legal Aid: Employment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the effects of a withdrawal of legal aid for employment law cases on the economy of  (a) Merseyside,  (b) the North West and  (c) England and Wales.

Jonathan Djanogly: There is no intention to conduct such an assessment. Impact assessments will be published alongside the Government response to the legal aid consultation later this year, however these are unlikely to contain any detailed geographic analysis of impacts.

Legal Aid: Homelessness

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2011,  Official Report, column 564W, on legal aid: homelessness, whether he plans to make legal aid available to appellants against homelessness application decisions made by local authorities.

Jonathan Djanogly: As I stated in the answer to which the hon. Member refers, we propose that legal aid would continue to be available for those who are homeless or threatened with homelessness and are seeking accommodation from the local authority under their statutory obligations. This would include appeals under sections 204 and 204A of the Housing Act 1996.

Offenders: Ex-gratia Payments

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its agencies have paid in ex-gratia payments to those convicted of a criminal offence to settle cases prior to litigation in each of the last three years; and how many of those who have been convicted of a criminal offence in each of the last three years have not received such a payment.

Crispin Blunt: The following table details the total amount of compensation aid to prisoners over the last three completed financial years as a result of civil claims, by way of out of court settlement. The figures exclude the associated legal costs, private establishments and compensation paid locally through the internal complaints procedures for lost/damaged property.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 1,452,309 
			 2008-09 1,648,045 
			 2009-10 3,257,892 
		
	
	Compensation figures paid locally are not collated centrally and to provide these would entail the checking numerous files and would incur disproportionate cost. For purposes of litigation, NOMS does not distinguish between convicted and non convicted prisoners.
	Records of claims for compensation where a settlement has not been made, either through the service successfully defending a case at trial, a claim being struck out by a court or withdrawn/abandoned by the claimant, do exist centrally. To collate these details for the last three years would involve disproportionate cost due to the number of such cases and the various categories into which they are broken down.

Prisoners' Transfers

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials of his Department (i) met and (ii) corresponded with officials or representatives of BP on the proposed prisoner transfer agreement with Libya between September 2007 and February 2008.

Kenneth Clarke: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs set out in his letter to the US Senate, there were three telephone discussions between BP and the then Justice Secretary (Mr Straw) or his office between October and November 2007. The Ministry of Justice has no record of any correspondence between Ministers or officials and BP during that period on the proposed prisoner transfer agreement. However, there is a record of an e-mail from BP to the then Justice Secretary's office of 2 November 2007 in response to a request for information from the Justice Secretary's office. In addition, the then Justice Secretary (Mr Straw) wrote to Tony Hayward on 11 February 2008 in response to an invitation from Tony Hayward dated 30 January, though this was not about the prisoner transfer agreement.

Prisons: Expenditure

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much the Prison Service spent in London on transporting inmates to hospital in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: It is not possible to supply information about Prison Service spending on transporting prisoners to hospitals in London, without it being at a disproportionate cost. This is because the cost of transporting prisoners to hospital is not calculated discretely but forms part of wider costs for hospital escorts and bedwatches which are divided between the relevant prison and the relevant primary care trust. These costs consist of both the actual vehicle cost (a taxi, ambulance or prison vehicle) and staffing costs (staffing levels for escorts to hospital are determined based on the risk posed by the prisoner).

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Electronic Equipment

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what consideration the House of Commons Commission has given to  (a) reducing the House of Commons output of printed documents and  (b) facilitating use of electronic devices in the Chamber and Committees.

John Thurso: The information is as follows:
	 (a) At its meeting on 13 December 2010, the House of Commons Commission agreed a range of initial savings to be made across the House and PICT in 2011-12 as part of its commitment to reduce the costs of the House Service by at least 17% in real terms by 2014-15. This included recurring annual savings of £1.8 million in the production of printed documents-primarily, the Questions Book, the weekly compendium of early-day motions and some Select Committee written evidence-and will save about 12.5 million printed pages in 2011-12 and thereafter in subsequent years. In some cases, these changes reduce duplication of information which will continue to be printed in another document. The information no longer printed is, and will continue to be, available on the website at:
	www.parliament.uk
	in most cases before 6 am on the day of publishing. Work is under way, through the procedural data and other programmes, to improve the quality and accessibility of parliamentary material on the web and to shift the emphasis from print to web.
	 (b) This is a matter for the House itself but the hon. Member may be aware that the Procedure Committee is currently consulting all Members on whether the rules should be updated to reflect technological developments since 2007 and the hon. Member could express his views to that Committee.

Housing

Robert Flello: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what residential accommodation is provided to officers of the House in the form of  (a) flats and  (b) houses; and how many bedrooms there are in each property.

John Thurso: Residential accommodation is provided to Officers of the House as follows:
	 (a) Flats:
	2a Canon row-two bedrooms
	 (b) Houses:
	2 Parliament street-three bedrooms
	3 Parliament street-three bedrooms
	4 Canon row-four bedrooms

Pay

Robert Flello: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much funding the House of Commons Commission allocated to salary costs for the senior management team of the House in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many individuals are included in that team.

John Thurso: The Administration's senior management team is the Management Board, which has seven members. Details of the salaries paid to the seven individual members of the Management Board can be found in the Remuneration Report included in the House of Commons: Administration 2009-10 Resource Accounts (HC 365). The total funding of salaries for the board for 2009-10 was £804,000.

Speaker's Office

Robert Flello: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much funding the House of Commons Commission has allocated to the provision of services directly and indirectly to the Speaker's Office.

John Thurso: The budget funding allocated to the Speaker's Office for 2010-11 for direct services, which includes the salary cost of support staff, is £704,000. Indirect expenditure of around £67,000 is forecast to be incurred on providing office accommodation, security and corporate services.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Females: Employment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what assessment she has made of the effects of reductions in levels of public expenditure on levels of employment of women.

Lynne Featherstone: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) was formed in May 2010 to make independent assessments of the public finances and the economy for each Budget and pre-Budget report; this includes an assessment of employment levels. The OBR has forecast that employment will rise in each year over the spending review period, reaching 30 million in 2015. The OBR does not breakdown its employment forecasts by gender.

Pay: Equal Opportunities

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities 
	(1)  what plans her Department has to bridge the pay gap between male and female employees in small businesses should employers choose not to engage in voluntary equality reporting;
	(2)  what estimate the Government Equalities Office has made of the number of small businesses engaging in voluntary equality reporting.

Lynne Featherstone: On 2 December 2010, Government announced that employers will be asked to help tackle the gender pay gap by publishing equality data about their work force on a voluntary basis. This will increase transparency and help employers identify any equality issues and take appropriate action.
	The proposal is aimed at all private and voluntary sector employers, but particularly those with 150 or more employees. As the details of these arrangements are being discussed with partners, we have made no assessment of the number of small businesses likely to engage in reporting.
	The Government are also committed to wider measures to address the barriers that women face in the workplace, including women working for small businesses. These include making pay secrecy clauses unenforceable, extending the right to request flexible working to all employees and consulting on a new system of parental leave. We are also taking strong action where there is evidence of discrimination, for example on equal pay.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

National Lottery: Operating Costs

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he expects the results of the report commissioned by the Minister for Tourism and Heritage on the international benchmarking of national lottery administration costs to be published; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: Officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) carried out a comparative study of the administrative costs of some UK-based charities which informed my decision about the level of the administrative cost caps I have set. I have shared this material with the lottery distributors and will be publishing it on the DCMS website shortly.

National Lottery: Operating Costs

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what consultations he has undertaken with lottery funding distributors on the reduction in his Department's expenditure on their running costs.

John Penrose: None, because the administrative costs of distributing lottery funding are funded from the lottery rather than from departmental expenditure. However, the relevant distributors were consulted both directly and through the lottery forum about our plans to reduce their running costs overall.

National Lottery: Operating Costs

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what consultation he has undertaken with community and voluntary groups on the reductions in his Department's expenditure on running costs of lottery funding distributors.

John Penrose: I do not expect any impact on voluntary and community groups from the agreement achieved with the lottery distributors on administrative cost reduction. Since the administrative costs of distributing lottery funds are themselves funded by the lottery, the aim is to provide more money for the good causes which should benefit all categories of grant recipient.

Sport

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what information his Department holds on trends in participation in each sport funded by his Department in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of levels of participation in sporting activity  (a) in each region,  (b) by each ethnic group,  (c) by each socio-economic group,  (d) by each sex and  (e) by each age group; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the 10 sports that experienced the largest  (a) increase and  (b) reduction in participation over the last 10 years.

Hugh Robertson: The Department makes a regular assessment of participation in sport and active recreation using the Taking Part and Sport England's Active People surveys. The Taking Part survey provides national and regional estimates of sport participation, while Active People provides local level estimates.
	The Taking Part survey is a continuous face-to-face survey of adults and children in England. It has been run since 2005 and collects data on many aspects of leisure, culture and sport in England. Findings from the 2009-10 survey were published in August 2010. The report includes detailed analysis of sports participation since 2005, participation by individual sport, region, ethnic group, socio-economic group, sex and age. The full report, along with various other outputs from the Taking Part survey can be found on the DCMS website at:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/7386.aspx
	The current Active People survey can be found at the following link:
	http://www.sportengland.org/research/active_people_survey/active_people_survey_4.aspx
	This survey includes participation by individual sport compared with results from the previous two Active People surveys; this provides detail on participation increases and decreases.
	Prior to the 2005-06 Active People and Taking Part surveys the Office for National Statistics carried out the General Household Survey questions on sport (in 2002 and 1996).
	You may also be interested in the national governing bodies whole sport plans. These explain where investment is going within individual sports:
	http://www.sportengland.org/funding/ngb_investment/ngb_whole_sport_plans.aspx

Sport: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what his Department's budget was for increasing participation in sport in each of the last 10 years; and what plans he has for such budgets in each of the next five years.

Hugh Robertson: The Department provides grant in aid funding to Sport England, who are responsible for investing this funding, as well as their lottery income, in organisations and projects that will grow and sustain participation in grassroots sport and create opportunities for people to excel at their chosen sport.
	Grant in aid allocations that have been made to Sport England in the last 10 years can be found in the following table.
	
		
			   Grant in aid received (£000) 
			 2000-01 38,323 
			 2001-02 43,162 
			 2002-03 80,324 
			 2003-04 44,572 
			 2004-05 74,456 
			 2005-06 80,971 
			 2006-07 102,500 
			 2007-08 113,296 
			 2008-09 130,163 
			 2009-10 134,422 
		
	
	The Department set out in the comprehensive spending review the grant in aid expected to be allocated to Sport England from 2011-12 to 2014-15. These figures and the current estimate for 2010-11 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			   Grant in aid proposed (£000) 
			 2010-11 (1)124,305 
			 2011-12 95,391 
			 2012-13 93,690 
			 2013-14 87,692 
			 2014-15 85,896 
			 (1) As at Winter Supplementary Estimate  
		
	
	It is estimated that Sport England's lottery income will rise by over £50 million from 2012-13, as a result of the Government's lottery reforms and the end of transfers to the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund.

Tennis: Expenditure

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what funding his Department has provided for the development of tennis in each of the last five years; and what criteria his Department uses to assess the value for money derived from such expenditure.

Hugh Robertson: Through Sport England the Department has provided the funding shown in the table to the Lawn Tennis Association's (LTA) Whole Sport Plan (WSP) to support the development of grassroots tennis over the last five years.
	
		
			  Total WSP funding 
			   £ million 
			 2006-07 (1, 2)2,000,048 
			 2007-08 (1, 2)2,159,750 
			 2008-09 (1, 3)2,267,750 
			 2009-10 6,717,768 
			 2010-11 6,717,768 
			 (1) Figures do not include Community Club Development Programme, Club and Coach funding or any awards made to the LTA through community strands, including the National Sports Foundation.  (2) Includes Whole Sport Plan core revenue funding and Whole Sport Plan funding specific for delivery of the UK Coaching Certificate and Coaching.  (3) Includes Whole Sport Plan core revenue funding and Whole Sport Plan PESSYP funding. 
		
	
	In addition the LTA was also paid £122,928 as part of the WSP from 2006-09 for delivery of tennis projects in London following the winding-up of the London Active Partnership. Total funding provided to the LTA by Sport England for the 2005-09 WSP was £21,311,844.
	Sport England holds formal reviews with the LTA every six months and maintains regular contact with them throughout that period. Their progress is measured against a set of specific outcomes which can be found in The Whole Sport Plan for the Lawn Tennis Association on the Sport England website:
	http://www.sportengland.org/funding/ngb_investment/ngb_whole_sport_plans.aspx?sortBy=alpha&pageNum=2

Tourism: National Quality Assessment Scheme

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the  (a) accuracy and  (b) impartiality of tourist accommodation reviews on websites in developing his plans for the future of the National Quality Assessment Scheme;
	(2)  what criteria will be used to assess the eligibility and suitability of proposed tourism developments for government grant assistance following the implementation of his plans for the National Quality Assessment Scheme;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on his plans for the National Quality Assessment Scheme;
	(4)  whether he has had recent discussions with the  (a) Secretary of State for Wales,  (b) Secretary of State for Scotland and  (c) Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on his future plans for the National Quality Assessment Scheme;
	(5)  whether he has had discussions with the  (a) Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and  (b) third sector organisations on the ability of (i) elderly people and (ii) economically disadvantaged groups to access information on tourism accommodation in formulating his plans for the future of the National Quality Assessment Scheme;
	(6)  whether he has had discussions with the Trading Standards Institute on redress and evidential issues that may arise in respect of trade descriptions of holiday accommodation following the implementation of his plans for the National Quality Assessment Scheme;
	(7)  whether he has assessed the potential effects on international perceptions of the UK as a tourist destination of his future plans for the National Quality Assessment Scheme;
	(8)  whether he plans to bring forward proposals to amend the provisions of the Development of Tourism Act 1969 for the purposes of implementing his plans for the National Quality Assessment Scheme;
	(9)  what measures he plans to use for benchmarking against international standards following the implementation of his Department's plans for the National Quality Assessment Scheme.

John Penrose: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2 February 2011,  Official Report, column 819W.

SCOTLAND

Ballots

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what studies his Department has made of spoilt ballots in Scottish elections related to the use of a new electoral system; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such study.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not produced its own study into spoilt ballot papers at Scottish elections as any such study is the responsibility of the Electoral Commission. The Electoral Commission normally produces a report after each set of elections and these reports may include information on spoilt ballot papers. Following the May 2007 elections, the Electoral Commission commissioned Ron Gould to carry out an independent external review of those elections. The Gould report, 'Scottish Elections 2007: The independent review of the Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections 3 May 2007', did include an analysis of spoilt ballot at the May 2007 elections. This report is available on the Electoral Commission's website.

Ballots

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what costs his Department has incurred in respect of  (a) secure storage,  (b) maintenance and  (c) staff training associated with Scottish ballot-counting machinery.

David Mundell: The combined Scottish Parliament and local government elections in May 2007 were electronically counted. For those elections the necessary equipment was hired from an outside contractor. There were therefore no storage and maintenance costs. Staff training in the use of the electronic counting machinery was provided either under that contract or by the relevant returning officer, however specific training in the use of the e-counting equipment is not separately identified.

Ballots

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what studies his Department has undertaken of failures in machine reading of ballots in Scottish elections; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such study.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not undertaken its own studies into machine reading of ballots in Scottish elections. The Gould report, 'Scottish Elections 2007: The independent review of the Scottish parliamentary and local government elections 3 May 2007', included an analysis of the electronic count and counting procedures at the May 2007 elections. This report is available on the Electoral Commission's website.

Ballots

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of each consultancy report commissioned by his Department on the  (a) efficacy and  (b) reliability of machine ballot-counting in Scotland.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not commissioned any reports into machine ballot counting in Scotland. However, the Gould report, 'Scottish Elections 2007: The independent review of the Scottish Parliamentary and local government elections 3 May 2007', included an analysis of the electronic count and counting procedures at the May 2007 elections. This report is available on the Electoral Commission's website.

Ballots

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what costs his Department has incurred in respect of the provision of information to the electorate on the  (a) operation of and  (b) voting system for the Scottish Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The provision of information to voters on the voting system for the Scottish Parliament is the responsibility of the Electoral Commission and Returning Officers.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Bill of Rights

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will initiate a formal process to take forward consideration of a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

Hugo Swire: The Government believe that it is important to develop support across the community for a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. The process envisaged in the Good Friday agreement to determine the scope for a Bill was taken forward by the previous Government and led to a public consultation. It was clear from this process that there is not as yet agreement on a way forward. The Government will continue to explore next steps.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Terrorism: Sentencing

John McDonnell: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions he has appealed on the grounds of leniency against a sentence handed out to an individual convicted for offences relating to terrorism since 1 January 2001.

Edward Garnier: The Law Officers are able to refer cases they believe to be unduly lenient to the Court of Appeal for consideration. Statistics are published annually on the AGO website:
	http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.uk/ULS/Pages/default.aspx
	The data show the offence rather than the circumstances of the offence. They show that the sentences of four offenders convicted of offences contrary to the Terrorism Acts have been referred to the Court of Appeal since 2001.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials of his Department allocated work on Afghanistan were based in  (a) the UK,  (b) Kabul and  (c) Helmand province in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: holding answer 4 February 2011
	I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South (Bridget Phillipson) on 25 January 2011,  Official Report, column 155W. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold figures on the number of staff in London allocated work on Afghanistan. The FCO records staff activity according to the overall FCO foreign policy priority staff are working towards, as listed, rather than according to geographical priority:
	Safeguard Britain's national security by countering terrorism and weapons proliferation, and working to reduce conflict.
	Build Britain's prosperity by increasing exports and investment, opening markets, ensuring access to resources, and promoting sustainable global growth.
	Support British nationals around the world through modern and efficient consular services.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received from the Co-ordination Forum for Countering anti-Semitism on the level of anti-Semitism worldwide; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: We have received no direct reports from the Co-ordination Forum for Countering anti-Semitism. The Community Security Trust (CST), a British charity focused on protecting the Jewish community, contributes to the forum and published their nationwide 2010 Anti-Semitic Incidents Report on 3 February 2011 which will be circulated to the Government and the Police.
	The UK is committed to fighting racial discrimination and intolerance. Combating all forms of racism remains an important part of the Government's human rights policy. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's overseas missions have a responsibility to monitor and raise human rights in their host countries and routinely raise our concerns with host Governments. Where possible our embassies take action on individual cases where persecution or discrimination has occurred and lobby for changes in discriminatory practices and laws.
	We have also recently published the Government's first progress update report on our work to take forward the recommendations of the 2006 All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism.

BBC External Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what impact assessment he has undertaken of his proposed changes to funding for the BBC World Service.

Jeremy Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 26 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 13-14WS, which sets out some of the impact of the changes to the BBC World Service budget. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend, gave his authority for the closure of five language services, following discussion with the World Service.
	The BBC World Service have managerial and editorial responsibility and they have decided to make further changes. These decisions are under their control.

Burma: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will work with his international counterparts to inform the Government of Burma of concerns about the Burmese Parliament's rules on freedom of speech and scrutiny.

Jeremy Browne: The Government are deeply concerned by reported restrictions on freedom of speech and scrutiny in Burma's Parliament. It has been reported:
	(i) that the Speaker of the Lower House can reject parliamentary questions that he judges will affect international relations, or which undermine the interests of the state;
	(ii) that it is a criminal offence, punishable by at least two years in prison, to publish or disclose information relating to parliamentary business.
	Our ambassador to Rangoon raised the issue directly with the Burmese Minister for Agriculture on 26 January 2011.
	We have raised our concerns over the restrictive and undemocratic nature of the regime's political process with our international partners, including in recent weeks with China, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. We will again underline our concerns at the forthcoming session of the Human Rights Council in March.

China: Human Rights

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he plans to take following the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on the issue of human rights in China and Tibet.

Jeremy Browne: We will take a number of steps to follow up the 13-14 January 2011 UK-China human rights dialogue. We will work to develop the links built between UK and Chinese policymakers and experts at the dialogue. We will proactively explore opportunities for follow-up work on the dialogue's two themes, "the role of police in criminal trials" and "minority languages in education". And we will continue to press China to make progress on specific human rights issues, including the situation in Tibet.
	The human rights dialogue is just one strand of our continuing engagement with China on human rights. Our project work on human rights in China received £1.5 million of funding in the period 2008-11. This has covered a range of issues, including criminal justice reform and the death penalty. The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs have all raised human rights in their meetings with Chinese Ministers since assuming office, and we will continue to take forward dialogue at this level.

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what single tender contracts his Department has awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold.

Alistair Burt: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) policy is to avoid single tender contracts wherever possible and to tender competitively. However in some overseas locations we may be limited to one supplier with the specialist knowledge and expertise to carry out the works required or provide goods and/or services. This may include security related activities in conflict zones or urgently required provisions at posts. Details of all single tender contracts across the FCO network could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	In the period requested, the FCO has not awarded any single tender contracts which exceed the prevailing EU public procurement thresholds.

Departmental Travel

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on ministerial travel since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to my response to the hon. Member for Dudley North (Ian Austin) of 27 July 2010,  Official Report, column 968W.
	As set out in the ministerial code, Departments will publish, at least quarterly, details of all travel overseas by Ministers. Information for the third quarter will be published as soon as it is ready.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code.

Egypt: Travel Information

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the British embassy in Egypt is taking to ensure the most accurate travel advice is given; and what steps the embassy is taking to overcome recent communication difficulties.

Alistair Burt: Our primary concern during recent political unrest in Egypt has been the safety of British nationals. We have kept travel advice under constant review and have made factual updates at least daily. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London is in close contact with colleagues at the embassy who have been monitoring the situation in Cairo and receiving regular updates from contacts elsewhere in Egypt, including Alexandria, Suez, Luxor and Sharm el Sheikh.
	Our embassy used a number of means of communication, including satellite telephones, radios and landlines in order to stay in touch with staff, honorary consuls, wardens and other contacts such as tour operators and British companies, where others have not been available.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's internal telecommunications network (FTN) has not been affected by Egyptian Government restrictions on the internet and mobile phones.

Iran: Sanctions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the effectiveness of international sanctions programme against Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and I have had discussions on the international sanctions programme against Iran with many of our counterparts. It is clear that sanctions are having an impact. Iran is finding it increasingly difficult to acquire access to goods of proliferation concern and is also finding it hard to access international finance, restricting its ability to fund its nuclear programme. We believe these sanctions and other pressures brought Iran back into talks with the EU 3+3 but its disappointing failure to engage on the substance of international concerns mean that pressure will now need to increase.

Kashmir

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2011,  Official Report, column 227W, on Kashmir, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Indian military presence in Kashmir on the human rights situation in the region.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of human right abuses on both sides of the line of control including allegations that Indian security forces have used excessive force against violent protestors during the unrest last summer. Prime Minister Singh issued a statement that violations of human rights abuses by security forces in Kashmir would not be tolerated. We have been closely following the initiative of the Indian Government to appoint three interlocutors to help resolve the situation in Indian administered Kashmir. They have made a number of recommendations to the Government including the release of prisoners held without charge, allowing peaceful protest and exercising proper crowd control.
	Officials in our high commissions in Islamabad and New Delhi regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with the Indian and Pakistani Governments and with our contacts in Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. During these discussions, we call for an end to external support for violence in Kashmir and an improvement in the human rights on both sides of the line of control. We also continue to encourage a lasting solution that takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. But the UK cannot prescribe a solution nor mediate in finding one.

Lebanon: Arms Trade

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the transport of weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon; what recent discussions he has had with the government of Iran on this issue; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alistair Burt: We remain concerned by reports of weapons transfers to Hizballah, including Hizballah's own claims that it possesses significant military capabilities.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary during his recent visit to Syria made clear and firm representations to President Assad and Foreign Minister Muallem on the dangers to the stability of the region in allowing the smuggling of weapons to Hizballah. Our officials continue to raise UN Security Council resolution 1701 and the smuggling of weapons to Hizballah at the highest level during our regular dialogue with Syrian counterparts.
	We remain concerned that Iran is undermining regional peace and stability, including through weapons transfers. We continue to call on Iran to play a constructive role in the region, including through restoring international confidence in its nuclear programme. We continue to make our views clear through interventions at the UN on UN Security Council resolutions 1701 and 1559.

Lebanon: Politics and Government

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the political situation in Lebanon since December 2010; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alistair Burt: Following the withdrawal of the opposition from the Government of National Unity on 12 January, President Sleiman has appointed Najib Mikati as Prime Minister and asked him to form the next government.
	We want to see a government formed in accordance with Lebanon's constitution, which commands the broadest possible support of the people of Lebanon and upholds its international obligations including the Special Tribunal and an end to impunity for assassinations. It is important that any new government is committed to restraint and the principle of non-violence as well as a sovereign and independent future for Lebanon.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what his most recent assessment is of progress in the Middle East Peace Process; what recent discussions  (a) he,  (b) Ministers in his Department and  (c) officials in his Department have had with (i) the US State Department, (ii) the US Secretary of State, (iii) the government of Israel, (iv) the Palestinian Authority and (v) EU counterparts on the Middle East Peace Process; and if he will make a statement; [R]
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the political situation in the West Bank since December 2010; and if he will make a statement; [R]
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the political situation in the Palestinian Territories since December 2010; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Alistair Burt: The Middle East Peace Process remains among the Government's highest foreign policy priorities. I have recently returned from a visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. I underlined our views to both Israeli and Palestinian Ministers and saw for myself the impact of the occupation.
	As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in the House on 1 February 2011, negotiations are the only way to achieve the national aspirations of both the Palestinians and the Israelis. We are deeply concerned about the breakdown in talks, and are working closely with the United States and the European Union to see a return to direct negotiations.
	We hope that the Quartet meeting on 5 February 2011 was clear that negotiations must resume quickly. The entire international community, including the United States, should support 1967 borders as being the basis for resumed negotiations. The result should be two states, with Jerusalem as the future capital of both, and a fair settlement for refugees.
	We are in regular contact with the key players at ministerial and official level. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met with Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman on 24 January 2011 and spoke with Baroness Ashton on 29 January 2011 and US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton on 30 January 2011 about the Middle East Peace Process.

Occupied Territories: Housing

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of  (a) new Israeli settler homes built in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and  (b) Palestinian homes demolished in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Figures for settlement construction during 2010 are not yet available. However 1,175 constructions were completed in the first three quarters of 2010. It is not yet clear at this point what number were houses and what were other buildings.
	As my hon. Friend the Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, said on 17 January 2011 following reports that Israel is considering building 1,400 new apartments in East Jerusalem:
	"We have always been clear that settlements are illegal and an obstacle to peace. Pushing ahead with this plan would be a deeply unhelpful move and hinder efforts to resume talks between the two parties leading to a two-state solution to this conflict, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of the two states living side by side in peace and security."
	Regarding demolitions, we are concerned at what appears to be a sharp increase in the level of demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem and Area C (Palestinian territory under Israeli military and civilian control). According to UN statistics, 431 structures, including 137 homes, were demolished in 2010, affecting 594 people, including 299 children. These figures represent a 60% increase in demolitions compared to 2009.

Palestinians: International Assistance

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2010,  Official Report, columns 830-31W, on Palestinians: international assistance, to what non-governmental organisations in Israel other than in the west bank or Gaza his Department has provided funds in each year since 2003; and for what purposes such payments were made.

Alistair Burt: Between 2003-04 and 2009-10 financial years, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has provided nearly £3.8 million to non-governmental organisations in Israel (other than in the west bank or Gaza). Final funding for the current financial year cannot be confirmed.
	Our funding supports our strategic policy priorities to:
	(a) help manage or mitigate conflicts;
	(b) monitor and promote human rights, access to justice and social welfare; and
	(c) strengthen the bi-lateral relationship.
	The following non-governmental organisations have received funding from the Middle East and North Africa Conflict Pool or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office:
	Abraham Fund;
	The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI);
	Bimkom;
	Birax;
	Breaking the Silence;
	B'Tselem;
	Council for Peace and Security (CPS);
	Economic Co-operation Foundation (ECF);
	Gisha;
	Friends of the Earth Middle East (FOEME);
	HaMoked;
	Hand in Hand;
	International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC);
	International Palestinian Centre for Research and Information (IPCRI);
	Ir Amim;
	Itach-Makki;
	Local Government Association (LGA-UK Organisation);
	Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development (NISPED);
	No Legal Frontiers;
	Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI);
	Peace Now;
	Women for Human Rights;
	Yesh Din.

Palestinians: Politics and Government

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what reports he has received on the economic situation in Gaza since December 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the level of arms smuggling into Gaza since December 2010; what discussions he has had with his UN counterparts on this issue; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the political situation in Gaza since December 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the level of presence of al-Qaeda in the Gaza Strip since December 2010; what recent discussions he has had with the government of Israel on this topic; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Although we no longer assess that there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza we have long been clear that the status quo is a tragedy, unsustainable and counterproductive. It hurts the people of Gaza, holds their future hostage, and undermines work to drive reconstruction, development and economic empowerment. At the same time the blockade empowers Hamas through the tunnel economy and damages Israel's long-term security through its corrosive impact on a generation of young Palestinians.
	While we welcomed an increase in the quantity and variety of goods entering Gaza more needs to be done to speed up the approvals process for dual-use items so that UN reconstruction projects can get underway. Israel's announcement on exports was also welcome. It is now important that we see real progress on the ground. We will be working with Israel to help it achieve its stated aim of reaching pre-2007 levels of exports this year.
	We are aware of reports that Hamas continues to acquire and test a variety of weapons. We have long made it clear that the arming and funding of Hamas, and other Palestinian Rejectionist Groups, is unacceptable. We have received no credible reports that al-Qaeda is operating in Gaza, though clearly there are other extremist groups present in Gaza in addition to Hamas, including those involved in rocket attacks against Israel. We have underlined the need for all groups, including Hamas, to end rocket attacks on Israel.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs raised these issues with Prime Minister Netanyahu when he visited Israel in November. I discussed Gaza at length with the Israeli Co-ordinator for Government Activity in the Territories (COGAT), General Dangot, when he visited the region on 16-19 January 2011.

Somalia: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Somalia on the need for further steps to safeguard safety of international travellers.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all travel to Somalia due to the ongoing violence, dangerous levels of criminal activity and general internal insecurity. The Government are working with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and regional administrations to return stability and peace to the country and to tackle external threats to international travellers. An effective security sector is vital to achieve this and should be embedded in the wider political strategy.

Tunisia: Politics and Government

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has offered assistance to Tunisia as a result of the political situation in that country.

Alistair Burt: The main focus of our response has been in Brussels. We have agreed an EU Options Paper on assistance for Tunisia which offers an increase in financial support; technical support to Tunisia's planned electoral process; trade concessions for agricultural products; and the freezing of assets misappropriated by members of the former regime. In parallel with this, the UK has given its political support to the measures announced by the new interim Government to liberalise the country's political system.
	I met the Tunisian ambassador on 2 February 2011 and personally assured him of the UK's willingness to support and assist in Tunisia's move towards democracy including through capacity building and parliamentary contact.

Western European Union

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which organisation will guarantee the pensions of former employees of Western European Union (WEU) after the closure of WEU in 2011.

David Lidington: The Western European Union (WEU) Council, of which the UK is a member, is responsible for ensuring appropriate arrangements are in place for the transfer of the administration of its residual responsibilities-including payment of pensions to former WEU staff-following closure of the WEU later this year.

Western European Union

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the open market value of the Western European Union premises on Avenue President Wilson in Paris; what share of the value will accrue to the UK when the premises are sold; and when he expects the sale to be completed.

David Lidington: A number of independent valuations are being sought for the market value of the Western European Union (WEU) premises in Paris. The UK share of the value of the premises is approximately 14%. The premises have to be sold back to the French Government, which already owns one-fifth of the premises outright, with the remainder shared among all 10 WEU Council members based on the level of their contribution to the WEU (which reflects gross national income). There is no firm date for the sale to be completed, but we hope it could be done within a year from now.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what planning his Department has completed in relation to the composition of British forces in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of combat troops; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: As the Prime Minister has previously stated, we will not have troops in a combat role after 2015 or in the numbers they are currently, although we expect to have troops in training roles beyond that date as part of a broader bilateral relationship.
	The Ministry of Defence is necessarily focused on how best we can achieve the transfer of security to the Afghan National Security Forces by the end of 2014. As part of this work we are considering the scope and shape of the UK's enduring relationship with Afghanistan and what the likely role and composition of forces should be beyond 2015. This advice will be presented to the National Security Council in due course.

Air Force: Military Bases

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2011,  Official Report, column 20W on air force: military bases, what the outcome was of the 2010 planning round before it was re-costed.

Nick Harvey: It is not the Ministry of Defence's practice to publish detailed forward plans, including those in relation to the estate, as to do so would prejudice commercial interests.

Armed Forces: Education

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pupils received the continuity education allowance for each year of study in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West (Mike Crockart) on 10 November 2010,  Official Report, column 391W.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of armed forces recruits in each age group withdrew from training before the end of phase two in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: The following table shows the UK regular forces, tri-service rates of outflow from the untrained strength for the past five financial years (FY):
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   FY 2006-07  FY 2007-08  FY 2008-09  FY 2009-10  FY 2010-11 
			 Total 33.3 29.0 21.4 21.8 18.2 
			   
			  Age  
			 Under 18 43.7 49.5 43.2 33.2 26.9 
			 18-19 42.1 37.9 24.0 25.9 23.8 
			 20-24 26.3 21.6 16.0 18.4 15.3 
			 25-29 21.1 14.8 10.8 16.1 13.2 
			 30-34 14.3 13.0 12.9 12.5 13.9 
			 35+ 19.6 7.4 7.2 11.1 8.1 
		
	
	Due to ongoing validation of data, statistics from FY 2007-08 onwards are provisional and subject to review. Outflow rates for the current financial year are projected figures based on actual outflow for the financial year to date.

Armed Forces: Young People

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal advice he has received on the disparity in minimum service periods for a recruit who enlists at the age of 16 compared with a recruit who enlists at age 18 or above.

Andrew Robathan: Legal advice was provided by Ministry of Defence lawyers regarding the different arrangements that apply to those who enlist before the age of 18 compared to those aged 18 or above.

Armed Forces: Young People

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal advice he has received on the retention of an armed forces recruit who no longer wishes to be bound by the enlistment contract he or she entered into while a minor.

Andrew Robathan: In developing the provisions as to a person's enlistment and terms of service, the policy teams worked closely with the Ministry of Defence's in-house legal team and received ongoing advice.
	A recruit who was under 18 years of age at the time of enlistment and who wishes to end their service may give at least 14 days' notice to their commanding officer. Such notice can take effect when the recruit has completed 28 days' service and is within six months of enlistment. Additionally, after this time, but before the recruit has attained the age of 18 and three months, a recruit who has made their unhappiness known would not be stopped from leaving the service should they wish to do so. After the age of 18 years and three months, the usual procedures for leaving the relevant service would apply.

Armed Forces: Young People

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal advice he has received on the retention of an armed forces recruit aged under 18 if his or her parent withdraws consent after attestation.

Andrew Robathan: In developing the provisions as to a person's enlistment and terms of service, the policy teams worked closely with the Ministry of Defence's in-house legal team and received ongoing advice.
	Provision was made in the Armed Forces (Enlistment) Regulations 2009 for the situation when an appropriate person, such as a parent, did not give or withdrew consent to the enlistment of a person under the age of 18. Such a parent may apply within three months of the enlistment to the Defence Council for a determination that the enlistment is invalid, even if the enlisted person has since attained the age of 18. However, if all necessary consents were obtained prior to the enlistment of a person under the age of 18, and that consent is subsequently withdrawn after the valid enlistment of the person, the enlistment will remain valid.
	However, it still remains the case that before any recruit has attained the age of 18 years and three months, they would not be stopped from leaving the service if they were to make their unhappiness known.

Departmental Pay

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid in bonuses to civil servants in 2009-10; how many bonuses were paid; what the aggregate monetary value of those bonuses was; and what the highest bonus paid was.

Andrew Robathan: Officials in the Ministry of Defence are currently collating the information requested. I will write to the hon. Member.

Fleet Air Arm

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the remaining  (a) establishment and  (b) structure of the Fleet Air Arm is in terms of (i) manpower and (ii) aircraft.

Nick Harvey: After implementing the decisions taken in the strategic defence and security review, the Fleet Air Arm will operate the following helicopters:
	30 anti-submarine Warfare Merlins;
	28 Maritime Wildcats;
	25 Commando Merlins; and
	six Battlefield Wildcats.
	In addition, some second line aircraft will be used for training purposes. It will employ 1,179 officers and 3,186 ratings.
	The Fleet Air Arm remains the Ministry of Defence's Maritime Aircraft Operating Authority and is a joint partner in the Joint Combat Aircraft programme.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to revise the Rotary Wing Strategy in the light of the conclusions of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Nick Harvey: Yes. The Rotary Wing Strategy is being revised following the Strategic Defence and Security Review, as part of the Ministry of Defence's annual planning round.

RAF Menwith Hill

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the legal status is of his Department's ownership of the buildings, fixed assets and site infrastructure at the US base at RAF Menwith Hill.

Nick Harvey: The site and all buildings, fixed assets, as well as the infrastructure at RAF Menwith Hill are held by the Ministry of Defence on a freehold basis.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animals: Smuggling

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees of the UK Border Agency were engaged in the enforcement of anti-smuggling controls in respect of products of animal origin in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Damian Green: The United Kingdom Border Agency employed 8,115 frontline officers in 2009-10. As of December 2010, the staffing figures for 2010-11 show that we employ 7,954 frontline officers.
	All frontline UK Border Agency staff are deployed to tackle a range of risks at the border and most work on a multi functional basis.
	Deployment decisions are based on an assessment of the risk. Officers are also supported in their anti-smuggling activities, including those for products of animal origin (POAO), by detector dogs and x-ray technology.
	The agency works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to ensure that our POAO border targeting is responsive to the changing threats that our borders may face.

Anti-terrorism Control Orders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people of each nationality have been subject to a control order since such orders were introduced;
	(2)  how many of those against whom a control order has been issued since 2005 were foreign nationals; and how many of these returned to their country of origin subsequent to the issuing of such an order;
	(3)  how many provisional orders she and her predecessors have made; and on what date each such order was made since 2005;
	(4)  how many control orders there are in place;
	(5)  how many control orders have been issued since such orders were introduced;
	(6)  how many requests for a control order have been refused since such orders were introduced;
	(7)  how many times she and her predecessors have applied for a control order since such orders were introduced; and how many times such applications have been granted;
	(8)  how many of those subject to a control order are also subject to an anonymity order;
	(9)  how many times the Government has sought a control order requiring a derogation of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights since such orders were introduced.

Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department reports to Parliament on the exercise of her powers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 on a quarterly basis, and additionally on an ad hoc basis if required. The most recent report, published on 16 December 2010, sets out that at 10 December 2010, the most recent date covered by the report, there were eight control orders in force, all of which were in respect of British citizens.
	48 individuals have ever been subject to a control order; 20 British nationals and 28 foreign nationals. 10 of the foreign nationals were subject to a control order only until the necessary arrangements were in place to begin deportation proceedings, nine of these 10 had previously been subject to immigration detention under Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.
	No derogating control order has ever been applied for or made.
	All of the individuals currently subject to a control order, and most of those who have ever been subject to a control order, are also subject to a court-imposed anonymity order. This prevents the publication of information that would identify, or would tend to identify, an individual as being subject to a control order. I am therefore not able to confirm how many of the 28 foreign nationals were returned to their country of origin subsequent to their control order being made. Nor can we confirm the number of individuals of each nationality other than British.
	Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 provides that (other than in cases of urgency) the Secretary of State must make an application to the High Court for permission to make a non-derogating control order, which the court may give:
	'unless it determines that the decision (of the Home Secretary that there are grounds to make that order) is obviously flawed'.
	I have taken 'applications' and 'requests' for a control order to refer to such applications to the court. I am not able to confirm how many such applications the Secretary of State has made for permission to make a control order, or how many of these have been granted, as this information has not been collated.
	I have taken 'provisional orders' to mean orders that were made for a contingency but not served. The quarterly reports to Parliament confirm the making and revocation, expiry or quashing of control orders, and now routinely note where an order has been made and not served. I refer the right hon. Member to the statements dated:
	16 December 2010
	16 September 2010
	21 June 2010
	16 March 2010
	15 December 2009
	16 September 2009
	15 June 2009
	12 March 2009
	15 December 2008
	15 September 2008
	12 June 2008
	13 March 2008
	12 December 2007
	17 September 2007
	21 June 2007 (two statements)
	24 May 2007
	22 March 2007
	16 January 2007
	11 December 2006
	11 September 2006
	12 June 2006
	13 March 2006
	12 December 2005
	10 October 2005
	16 June 2005
	The reports do not confirm why the orders were not served, including whether the order was made on a contingency basis, given the national security sensitivity of such cases and the need to preserve the anonymity of individuals against whom a control order has been made. I am not therefore able to confirm the numbers of contingency control orders that have been made or the dates on which they were made.

Anti-terrorism Control Orders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people on control orders absconded in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many of these were subsequently caught;
	(2)  how many control orders have been breached since such orders were introduced; and what penalty was imposed as a result of each such breach.

Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State for the Home Department reports to Parliament on the exercise of her powers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 on a quarterly basis, and additionally on an ad hoc basis if required. No individuals absconded from a control order in the latest period (11 September 2010 to 10 December 2010).
	Seven individuals have absconded from control orders since the regime's introduction in 2005, with the most recent abscond taking place in June 2007. One individual handed himself in to the police following his abscond. In relation to the locations and status of the other six individuals who absconded, I refer the right hon. Member to written ministerial statements published on:
	11 December 2006;
	16 January 2007;
	22 March 2007;
	24 May 2007;
	21 June 2007 (two statements);
	17 September 2007; and
	13 March 2008.
	These statements give as much information as the Government can provide about the individuals concerned given the national security sensitivity of these cases and the need to avoid publishing any information that could lead to the identification of an individual who is subject to a court-imposed anonymity order.
	The written ministerial statements give as much information as can be provided about breaches of control orders and, where applicable, action taken. The information given is limited for national security reasons and in order to avoid prejudicing any law enforcement interests. In addition to the statements referred to above I refer the right hon. Member to the statements published on:
	16 December 2010;
	16 September 2010;
	21 June 2010;
	16 March 2010;
	15 December 2009;
	16 September 2009;
	15 June 2009;
	12 March 2009;
	15 December 2008;
	15 September 2008;
	12 June 2008;
	12 December 2007;
	11 September 2006;
	12 June 2006;
	13 March 2006;
	12 December 2005;
	10 October 2005; and
	16 June 2005.

Anti-terrorism Control Orders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of her Department's expenditure on legal matters relating to control orders since such orders were introduced;
	(2)  how much the Government have spent defending legal challenges to control orders since such orders were introduced;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of enforcing each current control order in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: The amount spent by the Home Office on legal matters associated with control orders in each financial year starting from April 2006 until the end of March 2010 is set out in the following table. These figures include the costs of the Home Office's own legal representation and advice, the costs of the special advocates and the Special Advocates Support Office and meeting the legal costs of the controlled persons where this has been ordered by the court. The figure for the financial year 2006-07 is based partially on estimates. All figures are rounded to the nearest £100.
	
		
			  Amount spent by  the  Home Office on legal matters relating to control orders 
			  Financial year  £ 
			 2006-07 1,530,900 
			 2007-08 3,766,200 
			 2008-09 1,837,300 
			 2009-10 2,254,400 
			 Total 9,388,900 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide the amount spent on legal matters relating to control orders in the financial year 2005-06 (the year in which control orders were introduced) because of the way the costs have been accounted for. The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The enforcement of control orders is carried out by the police. The cost is managed from within each police force's overall budget, which includes specific funding for counter-terrorism policing. The Home Office does not have an estimate of the cost of enforcing each control order for each police force. I refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statements on the allocation of counter-terrorism funding for police authorities for each financial year from 2005-06 to 2010-11 which were published on, respectively:
	2 December 2004;
	5 December 2005;
	28 November 2006;
	6 December 2007;
	26 November 2008;
	26 November 2009; and
	13 December 2010.

Anti-terrorism Control Orders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many of those currently subject to a control order have lodged an appeal against their order;
	(2)  how many control orders have been challenged since such orders were introduced; and how many such challenges have been  (a) upheld and  (b) rejected;
	(3)  how many court hearings relating to control orders were  (a) open and  (b) closed sessions in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many times a control order has been subject to judicial review since such orders were introduced; and in what proportion of such reviews the challenge was  (a) upheld and  (b) rejected.

Nick Herbert: Under section 14 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 (PTA) my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary is required to report to Parliament on a quarterly basis on the exercise of the control order powers during that period. This quarterly update includes the number of appeals lodged under the PTA and the outcome of court judgments in relation to control orders.
	Every time a control order is imposed by the Secretary of State, the individual concerned is entitled to an automatic review by the High Court. Section 3(10) of the PTA provides that at such a hearing the court must review (a) the Secretary of State's decision that the requirements for making an order were met and (b) her decision on the imposition of each of the obligations in the order. The individual may request the discontinuance of these proceedings, but otherwise the hearing under section 3(10) of the PTA will proceed. This means that individuals who have been subject to more than one control order may have had more than one court review under section 3(10) of the PTA, and as a result some individuals are included more than once in the following figures.
	11 control orders have been upheld by the Court at the review under section 3(10) of the PTA and 14 have been quashed or revoked. Of the 14 that have been quashed or revoked, four were found to have been properly imposed but no longer necessary at the time of the hearing.
	The combined total number of orders upheld, quashed and revoked (25) is lower than the total number of individuals subject to control orders (48 as of 10 December 2010, the last date covered by the most recent written ministerial statement published on control orders) for a number of reasons. These include the fact the figure (25) does not include cases where the section 3(10) hearing has yet to be heard, cases where the controlled individual either discontinued their proceedings or absconded from the control order before the hearing took place or cases where the Secretary of State conceded that she could not make sufficient disclosure to comply with her obligations under article 6 and so revoked the control order.
	The judgments of these reviews under section 3(10) of the PTA have frequently been subject to appeal to the higher courts by both the individual subject to the control order and the Secretary of State. The numbers given refer only to the final outcome of a review, so, for example, if a control order was upheld by the High Court but revoked on appeal, it is recorded as having been revoked. Where a High Court decision has been made and that decision is subject to an appeal (which has yet to be heard), the decision of the High Court is reflected in the figures.
	The figures recorded above also exclude those cases where the original decision has been overturned and the case has been remitted to the High Court to be heard again and this hearing has yet to take place. The Secretary of State has revoked a small number of historical control orders rather than make damaging disclosure required under article 6 (right to a fair trial), and these have not been included as having been upheld or rejected by the courts because the reviews were not completed. (The figures also exclude interim procedural hearings that have taken place, such as case management and disclosure hearings-at which no substantive decision on the control order was made).
	Section 10 of the PTA makes provision for an individual to appeal against (a) the renewal of a control order, (b) a modification to an obligation in a control order made without the individual's consent, (c) the decision to refuse an individual's request for the modification of an obligation and (d) the decision to refuse an individual's request for the revocation of a control order.
	As reported in the quarterly written ministerial statements, 77 appeals have been lodged under section 10 of the PTA since it came into force on 11 March 2005. Some individuals have submitted more than one appeal under section 10 which means that the total number of appeals lodged does not match the total number of individuals who have ever been subject to a control order (48). These appeals were in many cases heard at the same time as the review under section 3(10) of the PTA and the outcome recorded in a single judgment; in other cases several section 10 appeals have been heard together where they have related to the same individual. For this reason, it is not possible to provide separate figures for the outcome of each section 10 appeal.
	As set out above, the PTA makes provision for the automatic review of a control order by the High Court, and for appeals against various control order decisions. Exceptionally, two individuals made applications for judicial review against modifications to their control order (rather than pursuing an appeal under section 10 of the PTA). Both were refused permission to bring a Judicial Review.
	UKHL 28, an individual subject to a control order must be given sufficient information about the allegations against him for him to give effective instructions to the special advocate.
	The Home Office does not hold figures for the number of hearings relating to control orders that were held in (a) open and (b) closed as movement from open into closed and back again is often fluid and can depend on issues that arise during the course of a hearing, or even a single session.

Anti-terrorism Control Orders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many control orders issued since such orders were introduced have included an element of  (a) house arrest and  (b) curfew;
	(2)  what specific conditions were attached to each control order issued since 2005.

Nick Herbert: The obligations a person subject to a control order is required to adhere to can change throughout the life of the control order and are tailored to the circumstances of the individual case at the time they are in place. In order to protect individuals' court-imposed anonymity and for reasons of national security we cannot provide full details of obligations in each case. I refer the right hon. Member to Lord Carlile of Berriew's annual reports on the operation of the control order powers dated:
	2 February 2006;
	19 February 2007;
	18 February 2008;
	3 February 2009; and
	1 February 2010.
	These reports, copies of which can be found in the House Library, contain a significant amount of anonymised information about the obligations to which controlled individuals have been subject.
	Further information on obligations in individual cases may be found in open court judgments in respect of the cases. Most open judgments can be found on:
	www.bailii.org
	Of the 48 individuals ever made subject to a control order, 43 have been subject to a curfew for some or all of the time their order was in force. The longest curfews ever imposed were 18 hours per day; these were put in place before the courts judged in 2006 and 2007 that curfews of this length amounted to a deprivation of liberty. The longest curfew that can currently be imposed under a non-derogating control order is 16 hours per day. Where curfews have been imposed, not all of them have been or are of that length. The curfew imposed in any case depends on the particular risk posed by the individual concerned. Some individuals have had curfews of only two or three hours per day imposed. Most curfews have been or are between these two extremes.

Anti-terrorism Control Orders

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people have been subject to a control order since the implementation of the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005; and how many of those were subsequently charged with acts relating to terrorism;
	(2)  when she plans to answer question 33326 tabled on 10 January 2011 for answer on 13 January 2011.

Nick Herbert: holding answers 13 and 31 January 2011
	48 individuals have ever been subject to a control order. All of the individuals currently subject to a control order, and most of those who have ever been subject to a control order, are also subject to a court-imposed anonymity order. This prevents the publication of information that would identify, or would tend to identify, an individual as being subject to a control order. Since clarifying the number of those who have subsequently been charged would-together with information already in the public domain about individuals who have been charged with such offences-tend to breach the court-imposed anonymity order, it is not possible to provide this information.

Anti-terrorism Control Orders

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the costs to her Department of  (a) administering control orders and  (b) defending legal actions in relation to control orders since their introduction.

Nick Herbert: The cost to the Home Office of administering control orders and defending legal actions in relation to control orders in each financial year starting from April 2006 until the end of March 2010 is set out in the following table.
	The legal costs include the costs of the Home Office's own legal representation and advice, the costs of the special advocates and the Special Advocates Support Office and meeting the legal costs of the controlled persons where this has been ordered by the court. The cost of administering control orders includes the cost of accommodation, subsistence, council tax, telephone and utility bills for controlled persons; and the staff and administrative costs to the Home Office of staff working on control orders. The figure for the financial year 2006-07 is based partially on estimates. All figures are rounded to the nearest £100.
	It is not possible to provide the amount spent on matters relating to control orders in the financial year 2005-06 (the year in which control orders were introduced) because of the way the costs have been accounted for. The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  Total( 1) 
			 Cost to the Home Office of administering control orders 409,400 849,400 870,300 941,000 3,070,000 
			 Legal costs to the Home Office 1,530,900 3,766,200 1,837,300 2,254,400 9,388,900 
			 (1) 2006-07 to 2009-10

Anti-terrorism Control Orders

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the renewal of expired control orders.

Nick Herbert: The framework for the making, expiry and renewal of control orders is set out in the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend, may not renew an expired control order but can renew an order before it expires. She may also make a new control order against the subject of a previously expired order. The Secretary of State takes decisions in individual cases in accordance with the statutory framework.

Association of Chief Police Officers

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has made an assessment of the accountability and transparency of the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Nick Herbert: As made clear in the 'Policing in the 21st Century: Reconnecting Police and the People' consultation document, the Secretary of State for the Home Department has made accountability and transparency key considerations in determining the future role of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).
	ACPO itself recognises that it is has to improve these areas, which includes it being more open about its activities and how it is using the public money it receives in the most efficient way possible. This is vitally important for ACPO as its role evolves in relation to providing the professional leadership of the police service. To that end the Government are working constructively with ACPO to agree the most appropriate structure for it to succeed.

Asylum

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the maximum period of detention is for a stateless person in an immigration detention centre.

Damian Green: Immigration Act powers of detention are not time limited. However, detention must be kept to the minimum period reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was authorised and must not be unduly prolonged. The length of those periods will vary between individual cases depending on their particular circumstances. Where a person seeks to frustrate their removal from the UK their detention may be prolonged as a consequence; the courts have upheld this position.

Asylum

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people classified as stateless were held in immigration detention centres on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Damian Green: As at 30 September 2010, the latest date for which National Statistics have been published, five people (figure rounded to the nearest five) classified as stateless were detained solely under Immigration Act powers, in UK Border Agency Immigration Removal Centres and Short Term Holding Facilities. The Home Office publishes National Statistics on the number of persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers on a quarterly and annual basis which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Asylum

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK Border Agency unit dealing with older unresolved asylum cases is on schedule to resolve all such cases by its target date of summer 2011.

Damian Green: The agency provides regular updates on performance, including a breakdown into grants, removals and "other" cases such as duplicates or errors, to the Home Affairs Select Committee and is next due to report in the spring.
	On 1 November the agency reported to the Home Affairs Select Committee that it had concluded 334,500 cases and is on track to conclude the legacy backlog by summer 2011.

Bomb Disposal: Armed Forces

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people have been  (a) investigated and  (b) arrested on suspicion of exporting ADE-651 bomb detectors and similar devices to Afghanistan since January 2010;
	(2)  how many people have been  (a) investigated and  (b) arrested on suspicion of exporting ADE-651 bomb detectors and similar devices to Iraq since January 2010.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 4 February 2011
	 The information requested is not collected centrally.

Convictions: Arrests

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been  (a) arrested,  (b) charged and  (c) convicted following police operations using undercover officers in each of the last 10 years; and how many of these were environmental protestors.

Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office is based on aggregated data and covers persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, by age group, gender, ethnicity, police force area and main offence group, for example violence against the person, sexual offences, robbery, burglary and drugs offences. There is no information about the circumstances behind the arrests and so it is not possible to separately identify what arrests were made as a result of undercover police operations.
	Data held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database do not include information about the circumstances behind each case other than which may be identified from a statute. It is therefore not possible to separately identify those offences proceeded against resulting from police operations using undercover police officers or how many of the defendants were environmental protestors.
	Court proceedings data for 2010 are planned to be published in the spring of 2011.

Departmental Official Cars

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many ministerial cars have been used by her Department since May 2010.

Damian Green: To allow contracts entered into by the previous Government to be terminated, six ministerial cars remained allocated to the Home Office from May 2010 to September 2010. In line with the new Ministerial Code, since 6 September two cars have been allocated for ministerial use, one of which is provided by the Metropolitan police for the Home Secretary.

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on newspapers and magazines since May 2010.

Damian Green: The Home Office purchases all newspapers, periodicals and trade profession journals via a framework agreement, which is in place for Home Office headquarters and the UK Border Agency. The spend from May 2010 for headquarters is £21,952.82.
	It should be noted that occasionally business areas purchase individual copies of particular newspapers or magazines to meet urgent business needs. These are funded from devolved budgets for which figures are not available, and they are therefore not included.

Departmental Public Appointments

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what public appointments she has made since her appointment; and to what payments each person so appointed is entitled;
	(2)  how many  (a) women and  (b) men have been appointed to public duties by her Department since May 2010.

Nick Herbert: Since her appointment as Home Secretary, the following appointments and reappointments have been made:
	
		
			  Body  Name of appointee  New appointment/reappointment  Payments 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Professor Les Iversen (chair) New appointment three years No remuneration, travel and subsistence only 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Ms Annette Dale-Perera New appointment three years No remuneration, travel and subsistence only 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Dr Paul Dargan New appointment three years No remuneration, travel and subsistence only 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Ms Sarah Graham New appointment three years No remuneration, travel and subsistence only 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Judge Kyrie LI James New appointment three years No remuneration, travel and subsistence only 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Mr Nigel Kirby New appointment three years No remuneration, travel and subsistence only 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Mrs Jo Melling New appointment three years No remuneration, travel and subsistence only 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Dr Hans-Christian Raabe New appointment three years No remuneration, travel and subsistence only 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Professor Fabrizio Schifano New appointment three years No remuneration, travel and subsistence only 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Dr Harry Sumnall New appointment three years No remuneration, travel and subsistence only 
			 Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner Suzanne McCarthy (commissioner) Reappointment five years Remuneration of £66,226 (three days a week). Entitled to reimbursement of expenses necessarily incurred in the course of official OISC business. 
			 National Policing Improvement Agency Peter Holland (chair) Reappointed until 31 March 2012 £72,000 per annum (average of three days per week). Entitled to claim travel and subsistence actually and necessarily incurred in the course of official business, including rail travel between home and office. BBA (Broadly By Analogy) pension to CSPS. 
			 Migration Advisory Committee Professor David Metcalf (chair) Reappointed three years £41,943 (96 days per year on MAC business). Travel expenses. 
			 Migration Advisory Committee Jonathan Wadsworth Reappointed three years No remuneration but able to claim £275 per day (plus travel expenses) on MAC business 
			 Migration Advisory Committee Dr Martin Ruhs Reappointed three years No remuneration but able to claim £275 per day (plus travel expenses) on MAC business 
			 Migration Diane Coyle Reappointed No remuneration but able to 
			 Advisory Committee  two years claim £275 per day (plus travel expenses) on MAC business 
			 Migration Advisory Committee Professor Rob Wilson Reappointed two years No remuneration but able to claim £275 per day (plus travel expenses) on MAC business 
			 Serious Organised Crime Agency Trevor Pearce (interim director general) Appointed for a term to be decided £142,478 pa plus £3,162 London Location Allowance. Reimbursement of expenses in line with SOCA policy. Use (not exclusive) of car and occasional overnight accommodation necessarily incurred in the course of SOCA business. 
			 Forensic Science Regulator Andrew Rennison Reappointed three years (starting February 2011) £98,252 (includes non-pensionable remuneration for his role as Interim CCTV regulator) 
			 Independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. David Anderson QC Appointed (starting early 2011) Daily fee. Reimbursed for any expenses incurred in the carrying out of the role and provided with a small fixed allowance for research purposes. 
			 Independent Advisor for Criminality information Sunita Mason Reappointed until September 2011 Details of remuneration not publicly available.

Deportation: Northern Ireland

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are made for families resident in Northern Ireland awaiting removal for immigration reasons.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency encourages all families to leave the UK voluntarily and offers help and support to do so. However, where they refuse we will seek to ensure return. We are currently in the process of implementing the new approach to family returns that was announced on 16 December 2010 that will apply across the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland, from 1 March 2011. Full details of this new process are on the UK Border Agency website:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/consultations/26-end-child-detention/child-detention-conclusions.pdf

Detention Centres: Northern Ireland

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements she plans to put in place for the children of adults detained in the planned immigration detention facility in Northern Ireland.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency will always first seek to achieve voluntary departure of illegal migrant families. In those cases where it is necessary to detain a parent in an immigration removal centre who has a child in the community, the UK Border Agency will seek to facilitate contact between the parent and child, subject to the wishes of the family, and in liaison with the local authority, where appropriate.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will assess the effect on the economy of a  (a) 10 per cent.,  (b) 50 per cent. and  (c) 100 per cent. reduction in the number of international students studying in England.

Damian Green: holding answer 3 February 2011
	A consultation on the student immigration system closed on 31 January. The consultation sought the views of all respondents on the effect of the proposals. The results of the consultation and an impact assessment will be published in due course.

Extradition

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are held in the UK awaiting extradition to  (a) EU countries and  (b) non-EU countries.

Nick Herbert: The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for Scotland are the designated UK authorities responsible for processing European arrest warrants (EAWs). The EAW governs extradition arrangements between member states of the EU.
	As of 31 January 2011, according to SOCA records, there are 215 people remanded in custody in the United Kingdom at varying stages of the EAW extradition process.
	55 people are currently in detention pursuant to extradition requests received by the Home Office from non-EU countries. This figure includes England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It does not include extradition requests made directly to Scotland.

Extradition

Lorraine Fullbrook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to her Department in each cost category was of responding to requests for extradition in each year since 2006.

Nick Herbert: Many agencies and Departments are involved in the extradition process. These include HM Courts Service, the Metropolitan police service, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Home Office. It is not possible to provide a complete or accurate breakdown of the costs borne specifically by the Home Office or to distinguish the cost of responding to extradition requests made to the UK apart from those made by the UK.
	There are a number of categories of costs incurred by the Department including the staffing and other costs of the Home Office Extradition Section; the staffing and other costs of obtaining legal advice on extradition requests; and the costs to the wider Home Office, including those involved in border control and counter-terrorism. In each agency and category, extradition requests made to the United Kingdom form part of the overall and larger judicial co-operation work load, and it is not possible with any accuracy or without disproportionate cost to stipulate the cost of responding to requests made to the United Kingdom.

Extradition

Lorraine Fullbrook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests for extradition from the UK in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2008,  (d) 2009 and  (e) 2010 (i) were granted, (ii) were denied and (iii) remain outstanding.

Nick Herbert: The following table gives the year in which the person concerned was actually extradited or the request denied; the request for their extradition may have been made in a previous year. These do not include figures for Scotland.
	It is not possible to provide figures for the number of outstanding cases for each year. However, there are currently 73 extradition requests under the 2003 Extradition Act which have not been completed.
	The figures do not include requests received from countries with which the UK does not have extradition relations.
	Miscellaneous refers to a number of reasons, including, a warrant not being issued; the person being arrested in another country and the death of the subject of a request.
	
		
			  Incoming requests  2006  2007  2008  2009  2010 
			 Requests received 64 49 57 81 86 
			 Surrendered 45 29 17 38 27 
			 Discharged (by courts) 19 12 10 10 8 
			 Refused (Secretary of State) 5 5 4 1 4 
			 Withdrawn by requesting state 14 10 4 7 5 
			 Not returned (miscellaneous) 4 20 13 14 11

Identity Cards: Lost Property

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign workers' identity cards have been lost while in transit between the office of the UK Border Agency and the individual in the last year for which figures are available.

Damian Green: In 2010, of the 213,000 Biometric Residence Permits issued, eight were lost in transit and 21 were signed for by someone at the address but not passed to the intended recipient. All 29 permits were subsequently cancelled.

Industrial Health and Safety

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress her Department has made on reviewing the health and safety regulations for which it is responsible since her appointment.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office's Health and Safety Team monitors and reviews the Department's health and safety policy by audit and inspection to ensure compliance against legislation set by the Health and Safety Executive.
	A review of health and safety regulations, as they relate to policing, has been progressed as part of Lord Young's review of the operation of health and safety laws and the growth of the compensation culture. His report was published on 15 October 2010 and we have agreed in principle with his recommendation that police officers should not be at risk of investigation or prosecution under health and safety legislation when engaged in the course of their duties if they put themselves at risk as a result of committing a heroic act. We have agreed to work with the Health and Safety Executive, the Association of Chief Police Officers, and the Crown Prosecution Service to consider further guidance to put this principle in to effect.

Judiciary: Equality

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on the training offered to immigration judges on gender and equality issues; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Secretary of State for the Home Department has regular meetings with the Secretary of State for Justice to discuss matters of shared interest. These discussion have not focussed specifically on the training offered to immigration judges on gender and equality issues.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of  (a) 23 November,  (b) 20 December and  (c) 21 December 2010 regarding the comprehensive spending review.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 24 January 2011
	I refer my hon. Friend to my letter of 30 January 2011. A copy will be placed in the House Library.

Members: Correspondence

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions of 15 October 2010 transferred to her Department by the Ministerial Correspondence Unit (ref POS(31)11222/0049).

Nick Herbert: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 30 January 2011. A copy will be placed in the House Library.

Passports

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) procedure and  (b) time frame is for activating a residency permit in a passport which grants temporary or permanent right of abode in the UK.

Damian Green: All immigration permits issued in the UK are immediately activated upon issuance whether they grant temporary or permanent settlement. Visas which are issued overseas are usually activated upon issue although there is a discretion for the commencement date to be delayed by up to three months from the date of issue.

Police: Complaints

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will review the provisions of Police Reform Act 2002 relating to the body which hears complaints from former police officers for the purposes of ensuring independence and transparency.

Nick Herbert: I have no current plans to do so.
	It is open to former police officers or members of police staff to make a complaint to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in the same way as any other member of the public, except where any allegation relates to conduct which took place while they were still a serving member of a police force, and occurred when they were on duty, or relates to the conduct of another member of the same police force.

Police: Finance

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she expects the review by Tom Winsor into pay and conditions in the police service to result in cost savings for the purposes of reducing financial pressures on police authorities.

Nick Herbert: The review's full terms of reference have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Police: Retirement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will review the use of rule A19 to require experienced police officers to retire involuntarily from police services.

Nick Herbert: The use of regulation A19 is a matter for individual chief officers, working with their police authorities. There are no plans to review regulation A19 specifically. Tom Winsor is leading an independent review of remuneration and conditions of service for police officers and staff. He has indicated that, as part of the review, he will be looking at the ways that officers currently leave the service.

Police: Tasers

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department holds on the  (a) number of X12 Tasers and  (b) quantity of ammunition for such devices held by each police force.

Nick Herbert: No X12 Tasers or ammunition are currently held by police forces in England and Wales for operational use. The X12 Taser is not approved for police use in England and Wales.
	Pro-Tect Systems Ltd's authority to supply Taser was withdrawn on 28 September 2010. Northamptonshire police, the force area where Pro-Tect are based, removed the seven X12 Tasers and ammunition held by Pro-Tect. These are currently held by Northamptonshire police awaiting destruction.

Police: Tasers

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason her Department has ceased regular publication of statistics on police use of Taser weapons; when data from the fourth quarter of 2009 and from 2010 will be published; whether routine publication will resume; and if she will take steps to provide timely and informative statistics in future publications.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 3 February 2011
	 The next set of figures on the reported and recorded uses of Taser by police forces in England and Wales since introduction in April 2004 up to 31 March 2010 are being validated and will be published in the spring.
	The Government are committed both to transparency on the use of Taser and to reducing data burdens on police forces and is currently reviewing the future collection and publication of Taser statistics.

Police: Training

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans she has for future arrangements for police training; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with the police on future arrangements for police training.

Nick Herbert: I meet regularly with police representative bodies to discuss matters of interest, including the professional development of the police service.
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department has asked Chief Constable Peter Neyroud to review police leadership and training.

Police: Training

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans she has for the future of Hendon Police Training Centre; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the implications of the closure of Hendon Police Training Centre for the quality of policing in the future.

Nick Herbert: Plans for the future of Hendon Police Training Centre are a matter for the Metropolitan police service and the Metropolitan police authority.

Special Constables

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables there were in each police authority area in  (a) 1995,  (b) 2000,  (c) 2005 and  (d) 2010.

Nick Herbert: The requested information is given in the following table.
	The latest provisional police service strength statistics relate to 30 September 2010 and were published on 27 January 2011 .They are available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/policeorg1.html
	Full annual statistics for 31 March 2011 are expected to be published in July 2011.
	
		
			  Total strength( 1)  for special constables by police force area, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010 
			   As at 31 March each year 
			  Police force area  1995( 2)  2000  2005  2010 
			 Avon and Somerset 651 459 396 449 
			 Bedfordshire 189 151 209 210 
			 Cambridgeshire 279 274 199 167 
			 Cheshire 321 350 192 300 
			 Cleveland 212 128 66 238 
			 Cumbria 241 176 126 115 
			 Derbyshire 434 282 369 302 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,142 870 582 592 
			 Dorset 221 298 230 300 
			 Durham 200 157 91 131 
			 Essex 674 483 363 682 
			 Gloucestershire 320 206 146 167 
			 Greater Manchester 768 457 380 400 
			 Hampshire 598 615 369 449 
			 Hertfordshire 320 216 226 344 
			 Humberside 427 246 328 341 
			 Kent 569 436 338 310 
			 Lancashire 608 382 319 470 
			 Leicestershire 356 247 181 240 
			 Lincolnshire 322 195 179 163 
			 London, City of 83 56 52 79 
			 Merseyside 384 476 259 446 
			 Metropolitan Police 1,550 758 697 3,177 
			 Norfolk 345 285 253 266 
			 Northamptonshire 303 199 242 180 
			 Northumbria 506 332 240 178 
			 North Yorkshire 381 217 173 184 
			 Nottinghamshire 552 411 333 298 
			 South Yorkshire 452 205 204 227 
			 Staffordshire 725 482 409 334 
			 Suffolk 409 391 267 328 
			 Surrey 238 175 289 327 
			 Sussex 527 352 200 240 
			 Thames Valley 679 472 375 408 
			 Warwickshire 352 260 190 212 
			 West Mercia 582 476 263 233 
			 West Midlands 818 680 959 591 
			 West Yorkshire 777 484 417 421 
			 Wiltshire 318 173 174 250 
			 Dyfed-Powys 302 202 167 171 
			 Gwent 126 119 144 144 
			 North Wales 288 247 124 193 
			 South Wales 477 267 198 248 
			  
			 Total 43 forces in England and Wales 20,026 14,347 11,918 15,505 
			 (1) Total strength is based on headcount figures. (2) Strength figures for special constables were collected by HMIC for between 1985-95.Home Office Statistics have been collecting and publishing this data since 31 March 1996. Figures published prior to March 1996 are considered to be less reliable and are therefore not directly comparable with figures published after this date.

Terrorism: Bail

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the granting of pre-charge bail to terror suspects.

Nick Herbert: The policy on granting pre-charge bail to terror suspects, and pre-charge detention more generally, is set out in the findings from the review of counter-terrorism and security powers which were published on 26 January 2011. A copy has been placed in the House Library and is available on the Home Office website. The review found that pre-charge police bail was unlikely to be a substitute for extended pre-charge detention. While the review considered that there could be merit in granting bail to terrorist suspects before charge, there would be risks for public safety in releasing terrorist suspects when the nature and extent of their involvement in terrorism was still being investigated. We are not, therefore, intending to enable bail to be granted to terrorist suspects before charge.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people the UK Border Agency employed in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11; and what forecast she has made of the equivalent figure in each of the next four years.

Damian Green: The number of people that the UK Border Agency employed in 2008-09 and 2009-10 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  End of financial year  Employees who are full-time equivalent (FTE), civil servants  Workforce including agency workers and others such as loans from  other Government Departments and those who are engaged locally  overseas (FTE) 
			  (a) 2008-09 16,878 17,532 
			  (b) 2009-10(1) 22,389 24,467 
			 (1) This figure is higher than the previous year, following Machinery of Government changes, which joined together part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office known as UK Visas as well as the Detection part of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to make the UK Border Agency. The transfers of workforce to UKBA were; (a) 4,705 from HM Revenue and Customs and (b) 2,254 from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 
		
	
	The forecast for  (c) is that there will be a workforce of around 23,200 (FTE) staff in the agency at the end of the year 2010-11 and by 31 March 2015 we expect there to be around 18,000 staff working for the agency. This means a reduction of around 5,200 posts from 31 March 2011.
	A detailed breakdown of staff numbers year on year is not yet available.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Africa: Roads

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to encourage better road safety on African roads; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: Approximately 1.3 million people are killed and 50 million injured in road accidents each year, 85% from low and middle income countries. This means that road accidents kill more people annually than malaria and just less than TB. Ministers will shortly be considering UK policy on this area.

Africa: Roads

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to encourage investment in Africa's North-South Corridor road network; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The COMESA-EAC-SADC (the Common Market for East and Southern Africa (COMESA), East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)) Tripartite, representing 26 countries, is leading the promotion and co-ordination of investment along the North-South Corridor (NSC).
	The UK is supporting investment in the NSC through the TradeMark Southern Africa Programme which works directly with the Tripartite. The Department for International Development (DFID) is contributing £100 million up until 2014, for the construction and improvement of roads and to support the establishment of an infrastructure project preparation and implementation unit to oversee and accelerate infrastructure investment and projects. This unit and DFID's wider efforts will be instrumental in leveraging further financial investment in the NSC from the wider international community.
	In addition to our support to the NSC, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mr O'Brien) launched the £78 million TradeMark East Africa programme on 1 February, which will support infrastructure development and trade facilitation across East Africa.

Africa's North-South Corridor Road Network

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the state of Africa's North-South Corridor road network; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The latest assessment of the state of Africa's North South Corridor (NSC) road network in 2010 found that of the total 8,599 kilometre road network: 28% or 2,403 kilometre of roads are in good condition and require nothing more than routine maintenance; 60% or 5,156 kilometre of roads will be in good condition for the next two to five years, but will require upgrading or rehabilitation design to start in the short to medium term; and 12% or 1,041 kilometre of roads require immediate rehabilitation or upgrading.
	The UK is supporting investment in the NSC through the TradeMark Southern Africa Programme, contributing £100 million up until 2014. In addition to our support to the NSC, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr O'Brien), launched the £78 million TradeMark East Africa programme on 1 February 2011, which will support infrastructure development and trade facilitation across East Africa.

New Framework for Results, Choices for Women: Planned Pregnancies

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to his Department's New Framework for Results, Choices for Women: planned pregnancies, safe births and healthy newborns, what mechanism his Department plans to put in place to reach the poorest 40 per cent. of women in the countries where it has programmes.

Andrew Mitchell: No single mechanism, instrument or approach alone is sufficient to reach the poorest women; action across the four pillars of the Framework for Results is necessary. Country offices are currently in the process of developing programmes to meet this plan and will identify the most appropriate mechanisms for reaching the poorest women in the context in which they are working.
	Ensuring that the poorest are benefiting is essential. That is why we will be monitoring regularly to confirm we are achieving the right results.

World Trade Organisation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the World Trade Organisation's initiative on aid for trade; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The World Trade Organisation's (WTO) initiative on aid for trade has made good progress, both in raising awareness about the support the poorest countries need to trade more effectively, and by encouraging the integration of trade into the national development strategies of developing countries. While donors have increased aid for trade support substantially over the last five years, what is needed now is a stronger focus on achieving results on the ground. The Government's trade policy unit will be supporting WTO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to prepare for the Global Aid for Trade Review in July 2011. This will be a key opportunity to assess progress to date and agree how to pursue a more rigorous approach to achieving results in the future.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Church of England: Pay

Frank Field: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2011,  Official Report, column 505W, on Church of England: employment, what the policy of the Church Commissioners is on the payment of a living wage to salaried or waged employees of  (a) the Church of England and  (b) Church of England parishes who are not clergy.

Tony Baldry: Employees of the seven Church of England National Church Institutions (NCI's) include all staff working at Lambeth Palace, Lambeth Palace Library, Bishopthorpe Palace in York, the Archbishops Council, the Pensions Board, the National Society for Promoting Religious Education and the Church Commissioners. All salaried and waged employees working for the above institutions on full-time, part-time and casual contracts working for the NCI's earn not less than £9.95 per hour as of 1 July 2010. This rate was negotiated with the relevant trade union representatives as part of the standard salary review procedures of the NCI's. The NCI's are not responsible for the setting of pay scales for the individual dioceses of the Church of England and each diocese therefore sets their own local rates negotiated when appropriate with recognised union representatives.

TRANSPORT

A11: Repairs and Maintenance

Matthew Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what date he expects work to begin on improvements to the A11.

Michael Penning: The Secretary of State's statement of 26 October 2010,  Official Report, columns 177-79, on Investment in Highway and Local Transport Schemes identified the A11 Fiveways to Thetford scheme as one on which the Highways Agency would start works before 2015, subject to the completion of statutory processes.

Aviation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on disruption of air travel; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has received 128 items of correspondence in relation to the effects of December's severe weather on air travel.

Aviation: EC Action

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what representations he has received on the European Aviation Safety Agency's proposals to standardise flight time limitations across the EU;
	(2)  whether he plans to commission studies into the likely effects on UK airspace safety of the European Aviation Safety Agency's proposals to standardise flight time limitations across the EU.

Theresa Villiers: I have received a number of letters from MPs and pilots who are concerned about the proposals contained in the consultation document issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency.
	The Civil Aviation Authority is currently reviewing the proposals and we will seek to ensure that the final requirements maintain a high level of safety for UK airlines.

Aviation: Safety

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which pilot fatigue affects aviation safety; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 1 February 2011
	It is recognised that pilot fatigue can impact on aviation safety. UK airlines are therefore required to have robust flight time limitation schemes to prevent the onset of fatigue. These have to be approved by the Civil Aviation Authority.
	The CAA reviews all available information, including newly available research, on the effects of fatigue in aviation and maintains an advisory group with its stakeholders to discuss the effect of crew fatigue on aviation safety.

Aviation: Safety

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effects on travel safety of implementation of the European Aviation Safety Agency's recent proposals for legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 1 February 2011
	The European Aviation Safety Agency has published draft legislation for consultation. The Civil Aviation Authority is currently reviewing the proposals and we will seek to ensure that the final requirements maintain a high level of safety for UK airlines.

Big Society Initiative

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken as part of the Government's big society initiative since May 2010.

Norman Baker: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 3 February 2011,  Official Report, columns 876-77W.

Biofuels: Garages and Petrol Stations

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the potential effect of greater use on rural petrol stations of biodiesel made from used cooking oil.

Norman Baker: Biofuel use in transport fuels is mandated through the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO). The RTFO requires the percentage of biofuel supplied, by obligated transport fuel suppliers, to increase from 3.5% this year to 5% in 2014-15. Details on the RTFO are available at:
	www.renewablefuelsagency.gov.uk
	I have commissioned work to assess the capacity of the UK's transport infrastructure for biofuels, and research into the cost effective deployment of biofuels through to 2050. Both of these reports will consider biofuel use in rural petrol stations and the second will also specifically consider the availability of used cooking oil biodiesel. Both research projects are due to complete this spring and will be published on the Department's website.

Crossrail: Public Appointments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timetable he has set for the appointment of a new chief executive for Crossrail.

Theresa Villiers: Finding Rob Holden's successor is a matter for Crossrail Ltd, but we have been assured that the proper process to identify a successor is in hand.
	Mr Holden has given six months' notice of his departure from Crossrail Ltd and is therefore expected to remain in post until early summer. My understanding is that the Board of Crossrail Ltd hopes to have appointed a successor prior to Mr Holden's departure.

Cycling

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of commuters who cycle to work.

Norman Baker: The Office for National Statistics' Labour Force Survey estimates the number of people usually travelling to work by cycle in Great Britain in October-December 2009 as 704,000. This represents 3% of all adults in employment.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce its carbon emissions to meet the target of reducing central Government carbon emissions by 10% by June 2011.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport is committed to achieving the 10% carbon reduction target announced by the Prime Minister on 14 May 2010, and I have had discussions with relevant officials to progress this. I will be having further such discussions shortly.
	The Department has developed, revised and published, through the Efficiency and Reform Group's Centre of Expertise in Sustainable Procurement, a plan that aims to deliver the savings required by the target. The latest data on performance, to the end of November, are publicly available on the data.gov.uk website:
	http://data.gov.uk/departmental-performance-co2-emissions-reduction-date
	Performance data are reported monthly, within four weeks of the month end. The next data release (to the end of December 2010) will be available by the end of January 2011, and similarly published on the data.gov.uk website.
	Details on the reduction projects the Department for Transport is implementing or considering for implementation is also available on the data.gov.uk website:
	http://data.gov.uk/departmental-performance-co2-emissions-reduction-date
	This work programme will lead to reductions in our emissions from electricity, gas and fuel oil used on our office estate over the target period.
	In addition to those initiatives listed the Department is looking at ways of maximising the shutdown of its offices over the upcoming bank holiday weekends. This follows a similar exercise undertaken over the Christmas period which resulted in a saving of 31% (43 tonnes of CO2) over a similar period in December in the Department's offices at Marsham street. We also continue to work with our facilities management providers to identify any further opportunities to make carbon savings within the target window. It is also our intention to use Climate Week to trial different ways of controlling the heating and cooling of our main buildings, to demonstrate what savings can be made if we change the way buildings are operated. Any additional initiatives will concentrate primarily on behavioural change due to the close proximity of the target end date.

Departmental Communication

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures he has undertaken to reduce jargon and promote plain English in Departmental communications.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport and its agencies make every effort to reduce jargon and to use plain English in their communications. The central Department has published advice for staff on plain English drafting, and five of our agencies also publish their own guidelines. The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency has gained the Plain English Crystal mark of approval on more than 100 of its forms.

Departmental Pay

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on the number of sub-contracted staff servicing his Department who were not paid at a rate equivalent to or above the London living wage in the latest period for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: I regret that this information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Working Conditions

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's policy is on  (a) the space provided per employee,  (b) home working and  (c) hot desking; how many employees it has on average per desk; and how much space on average there is per employee.

Norman Baker: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Department's policy is to meet the current space standard of 10 square metres per person.
	 (b) The Department's home working policy as stated in the Staff Handbook is as follows:
	You may apply to work at home on a regular basis (for at least one working day per week, with provision of ICT and/or furniture by the Department.
	Where it has been agreed that you will work at home on a regular basis Human Resources will issue a variation to your individual contract of employment (see Part A of this Staff Handbook-Chapter 1-Introduction). This contract variation will state:
	1. the location at which you will be 'regularly working at home';
	2. the days of the week you will 'regularly work at home';
	3. the office which will be regarded as the place of work for your post were you not home working.
	For pay purposes, your place of work will be the office where your post would be located if you were not home working.
	The Department is committed to promoting alternatives to travel within the Department and a cross Government, increase the use of ICT to reduce or move the need to travel. This includes encouraging the take-up of home working, which has the potential to benefit both staff and employers through improved work-life balance and increased productivity.
	 (c) The Department for Transport has exercised a lease break on approximately one third of its main London Headquarters building and that part of the building will cease to be occupied by the Department from the end of 2012. Currently one desk is provided per person in an open plan environment. This will still be the case following the current staff reorganisation and restack of the adoption of non-territorial working.
	As reported in the State of the Estate report the Department for Transport reported occupancy, excluding operational properties, of 12.7 square metres per person in 2008-09. Data for 2009-10, including average desks per employee, are currently being collated.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Ophthalmology

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many opticians in Christchurch constituency have applied to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for authorisation to provide services in connection with vehicle licensing; how many such applications were  (a) successful and  (b) unsuccessful; and for what reasons each application which was unsuccessful was rejected.

Michael Penning: holding answer 4 February 2011
	 Information relating to the number of opticians that have applied to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to carry out visual field testing is not recorded.
	There are currently 15 opticians in the county of Dorset, three of which are in Christchurch, registered to carry out visual field testing on behalf of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Five other practices in the Dorset area are on the waiting list. No figures are available regarding the number of opticians who have applied but were unsuccessful.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Ophthalmology

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what opticians in Christchurch constituency are authorised by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to provide services in connection with vehicle licensing.

Michael Penning: holding answer 4 February 2011
	 There are 15 opticians in the county of Dorset who are registered to carry out visual field testing on behalf of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Three opticians are situated in Christchurch and are shown as follows:
	1. Howie and Tickner Opticians
	2. Raxworthy (Christchurch ) Ltd.
	3. Ron Johnsen Optometrist
	The others in Dorset are:
	1. Robert Frith Optometrists, Shaftesbury
	2. Robert Frith Optometrists, Gillingham
	3. M J B and J Jones Optometrists, Blandford Forum
	4. Ferndown Medical Centre, Ferndown
	5. Christine H Webster Opticians, Wareham
	6. G B Hayden, Lyme Regis
	7. Andrew Care Opticians, Dorchester
	8. Eyestyle Centre Opticians, Ferndown
	9. Optique 200 Opticians, Wimborne
	10. Peacock and Murphy Opticians, Verwood
	11. Eyestyle Centre Opticians, Shaftesbury
	12. Specsavers Opticians, Bridport.

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Ophthalmology

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria the Driver and Vehicles Licensing Agency applies in selecting opticians to carry out eye tests for the purposes of driver licensing; and whether the Agency has assessed any optician as unable to meet such criteria.

Michael Penning: holding answer 4 February 2011
	Prior to being selected practices must demonstrate they have the necessary equipment (binocular Humphrey, Dicon and Medmont perimeters, each measuring 120 points, and Henson perimeter measuring 112 points) and are able to carry out an Esterman binocular visual field test within the specified timescale.
	Opticians are not registered if they do not have the acceptable equipment or cannot meet the specified time scale. Information relating to the number of opticians not able to meet the criteria is not recorded.

Electric Vehicles: Marketing

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to promote the use of hybrid vehicles.

Norman Baker: The recent spending review announced that the Government have made provision of over £400 million for measures to promote the uptake of ultra-low carbon vehicle, including hybrid technologies. These measures include support for consumer incentives, development of recharging infrastructure, and a programme of research and development work.

First Capital Connect: Franchises

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which franchise obligations First Capital Connect was found to have contravened in September 2009.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 31 January 2011
	As a matter of course, Department for Transport officials monitor compliance under the terms of the franchise agreement to which First Capital Connect are party. In September 2009, First Capital Connect were found to be in contravention of its obligations in respect of its obligation to install ticket vending machines at Blackfriars station and its obligation in respect of its annual updated business plan.

First Capital Connect: Franchises

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a copy of the agreed management provisions for franchise performance during each four-week period of First Capital Connect's rail franchise.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 31 January 2011
	The Department for Transport places copies of the franchise agreements on its website:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/publicregister/current/
	Schedule 13 of the National Rail franchise terms sets out the management information requirements for First Capital Connect along with the frequency of reporting. Schedule 11, Paragraph 4 sets out the agreed management provisions relating to each four weekly railway period.

First Capital Connect: Franchises

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from customers of rail services operated under the First Capital Connect rail franchise.

Theresa Villiers: The Department has received 51 items of correspondence from First Capital Connect customers since the beginning of December 2010. These have been either directly from customers of First Capital Connect or via their Members of Parliament.

First Capital Connect: Franchises

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what provisions of its franchise agreement First Capital Connect had contravened by September 2009.

Theresa Villiers: As a matter of course, Department for Transport Officials monitor compliance under the terms of the franchise agreement to which First Capital Connect are party. In September 2009, First Capital Connect were found to be in contravention of its obligations in respect of its obligation to install ticket vending machines at Blackfriars station and its obligation in respect of its annual updated business plan.

Heathrow Airport: Night Flying

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what criteria will be used in the review of restrictions on night flights at Heathrow Airport after October 2012;
	(2)  what timetable he has set for the consultation on restrictions on night flights at Heathrow Airport after October 2012.

Theresa Villiers: An announcement about proposals for post 2012 arrangements will be made in due course. Any proposals will be subject to public consultation.
	There have been strict controls on night flights at Heathrow for many years. This recognises that noise from aircraft at night is widely regarded as the least acceptable aspect of aircraft operations and a key concern for local residents. In considering criteria for a new regime, it will be particularly important that very great care is taken to strike a fair balance between local disturbance and the economic benefits of night flights.

HM Coastguard

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what risk assessments were carried out in respect of the proposals in his Department's document Protecting our Seas and Shores in the 21st Century: Consultation on proposals for modernising the Coastguard 2010; and if he will publish the assessments.

Michael Penning: HM Coastguard is an emergency service; sensitivity to operational risk is at the forefront of its approach.
	The assessment of risk is an integral part of all policy development. In developing these proposals the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has at all stages assessed every element against the systemic risks to delivery of our national coastguard service.
	A risk assessment covering the overall UK delivery operation will be published later this week.

London and Southeastern Railway: Fares

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether Southeastern's rail fare increases for 2011 were approved by Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 4 February 2011
	The increases applied by Southeastern to its regulated rail fares in January 2011 complied with the relevant provisions of the franchise agreement, the terms of which were set in 2005 by the previous Government.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he  (a) has had and  (b) plans to have with the motor insurance industry on the (i) availability and (ii) cost of motor insurance to younger drivers.

Michael Penning: I am keen to explore developing new insurance products which offer discounts to those newly qualified drivers who have chosen enhanced training or who are happy to accept restrictions from their insurer (for example no night time driving or "pay as you go" initiatives). I have raised this with the insurance industry and I am seeking to arrange an early meeting to discuss the issues in detail.

National Air Traffic Services

Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much revenue he expects to receive from the sale of the Government's remaining share of National Air Traffic Services.

Theresa Villiers: holding answer 31 January 2011
	No decision has yet been made as to whether to sell all, part or none of the Government's shareholding in NATS. It was announced in the spending review (October 2010) that decisions on how and whether to proceed with a sale will be taken by Budget 2011.
	We are currently in discussions with other shareholders over future ownership of NATS. If a decision is made to sell Government shares, the value will depend on the market conditions and decisions of other shareholders. No formal valuations have been prepared and indicative valuations can not be disclosed on the grounds of commercial sensitivity.

Railways: Weather

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that rail services are not disrupted in the event of severe weather;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that train operating companies are prepared for severe weather.

Theresa Villiers: Officials within the Department for Transport closely monitor the performance of train operating companies, including during periods of severe weather. When disruption takes place, train operating companies maintain regular contact with the Department. Train operators and Network Rail work together to plan for disruptive events, including bad weather. This includes discussions about which key services to prioritise and setting emergency timetables to be deployed if required.

Sea Rescue: Closures

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has undertaken an impact assessment of the proposed closure of the Coastguard Centres in Stornoway, Shetland, Clyde or Forth.

Michael Penning: holding answer  4  February 2011
	 Each aspect of the reforms detailed in the consultation document "Protecting our Seas and Shores in the 21st Century" issued on 16 December 2010 was reviewed in relation to their impact on our ability to provide UK search and rescue (SAR) co-ordination. It was concluded that location is not key factor.
	The factors that were considered in determining the proposed location of coastguard centres are set out on pages 20-23 of the consultation document which is available in the Libraries of the House and on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency website:
	www.mcga.gov.uk

Transport

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to encourage active travel.

Norman Baker: holding answer 1 February 2011
	The Government are keen to promote sustainable travel initiatives, including cycling and walking. The recent White Paper (Creating Growth, Cutting Carbon) includes specific measures to encourage active travel. We anticipate that the recently announced 'Local Sustainable Transport Fund' will support a wide range of measures, including packages that support the promotion of walking and cycling.
	We have also allocated £11 million for Bikeability training in schools in 2011-12 and are committed to funding Bikeability training for the remainder of the Parliament. In addition, in 2011-12 we are funding £13 million for Links to Schools, Bike Club, Bike IT and walking to school initiatives.

Transport: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he last met the Minister for Transport in the Scottish Government; and what matters were discussed.

Philip Hammond: I spoke with the Minister for Transport in the Scottish Government regularly during December 2010 as part of the Ministerial Resilience Committee to discuss the response to the severe weather. The last meeting was on 23 December 2010. My ministerial colleagues have also discussed a range of issues including high-speed rail and road safety with the Minister for Transport in the Scottish Government.

EDUCATION

School Standards

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of school standards in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Nick Gibb: In 2010, at key stage 2, 73% of pupils in South Basildon and East Thurrock achieved level 4 or above in English and maths combined, compared with 73% in England. In 2010, at key stage 4, 51.4% of pupils in maintained schools in South Basildon and East Thurrock achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C, including English and maths, compared with 55.2% in maintained schools in England as a whole.

Pupil Funding

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average level of funding per pupil in  (a) Cambridgeshire and  (b) England will be in 2011-12.

Sarah Teather: For 2011-12, Cambridgeshire will receive a guaranteed unit of funding per pupil of £4,643.51. The average guaranteed unit of funding per pupil for England will be £5,082.53.
	We have kept the 2010-11 per pupil funding for each local authority in England and then added the per pupil level of grants that they received on top of this. The combined amount is the new guaranteed unit of funding for each local authority for 2011-12.

Building Schools for the Future

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the status of the Building Schools for the Future programme in Liverpool.

Nick Gibb: We have stopped the wasteful Building Schools for the Future programme, including 25 projects in Liverpool. Five Liverpool schools are continue to receive BSF capital investment. Capital has been allocated to two academy projects.
	After the capital review reports in a few weeks time, we will establish the approach to capital spending on schools for April 2012 onwards. Maintained schools capital allocations for 2011-12 were announced on 13 December.

Teacher Protection

Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to protect teachers from false allegations made by pupils.

Nick Gibb: The Education Bill introduces reporting restrictions to prevent the publication of information that would identify teachers when allegations are made by or on behalf of a pupil until they are charged with a criminal offence. We will also revise guidance to highlight the fundamental importance of eradicating unnecessary delays in investigations, clarify that suspending teachers should never be an automatic response and emphasising the support that teachers are entitled to expect when facing such action.

Standards: Secondary Schools

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve standards of achievement in secondary schools.

Nick Gibb: The Schools White Paper set out our plans to raise standards in education, including a real focus on raising standards of behaviour in our schools. We are also encouraging more high quality graduates into teaching, particularly in the shortage subjects of mathematics and science. We are reforming the National Curriculum and qualifications to ensure that children gain the knowledge they need to progress further. And we are promoting school autonomy, with more schools taking up the advantages of Academy status and the creation of more free schools.

Academies

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of his Department's capacity to oversee the governance of academies.

Nick Gibb: Academies are publicly funded independent schools and are required to ensure that they have sound governance procedures in place. We are satisfied that the Department has the capacity in place to oversee this.

Social Work: Children

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress is being made in reducing the burden of administration in social work with children.

Tim Loughton: The coalition Government are committed to freeing up more time for social workers to use their professional judgment to help children. This is an important focus of Professor Munro's review of child protection. Her interim report, published on 1 February 2011, proposes areas for potential reform to allow professionals to re-focus on the needs of the child rather than bureaucratic compliance. I welcome this and look forward to her final recommendations in April to which we will respond.

Booked Up Scheme

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children have received books from the Booked Up scheme in (a) England,  (b) West Midlands and  (c) Dudley Borough in each year since 2004.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 12 January 2011
	The number of children who received books from the Booked Up scheme is as follows:
	
		
			  Booked Up scheme 
			   England  West midlands  Dudley borough 
			 2004-06 (1)- (1)- (1)- 
			 2007 636,330 66,893 3,975 
			 2008 666,945 71,273 4,248 
			 2009 660,603 68,580 4,138 
			 2010 655,630 67,722 4,156 
			 (1) No packs given before 2007

Bookstart Scheme

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children have received books from the Bookstart scheme in  (a) England,  (b) West Midlands and  (c) Dudley borough in each year since 2004.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 12 January 2011
	 The number of children who have received books from the Bookstart scheme are as follows:
	
		
			  Bookstart 
			   England  West Midlands  Dudley borough 
			 2004 487,200 65,136 3,610 
			 2005 608,000 63,079 7,656 
			 2006 1,084,504 189,760 10,022 
			 2007 1,710,802 192,297 10,600 
			 2008 1,725,000 198,239 10,580 
			 2009 1,788,887 197,058 11,364 
			 2010 1,817,425 201,810 10,656

Bookstart Scheme

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 29 November 2010,  Official Report, column 513W, on the Bookstart programme: finance, how much funding he has allocated to Bookstart for 2011-12.

Sarah Teather: Following the joint public statement issued with Booktrust on 26 December, the Department for Education has been working with Booktrust on developing a new book gifting programme. A decision will be made soon on the funding that will be allocated to Bookstart for the 2011-12 financial year.

Booktime Scheme

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children have received books from the Booktime scheme in  (a) England,  (b) West Midlands and  (c) Dudley borough in each year since 2007.

Sarah Teather: holding answer 12 January 2011
	 The number of children who have received books from the Booktime scheme are given as follows:
	
		
			  Booktime 
			   England  West Midlands  Dudley borough 
			 2007 663,862 62,386 3,699 
			 2008 674,177 71,824 4,077 
			 2009 666,792 72,223 4,050 
			 2010 670,225 70,954 4,043

CAFCASS: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the outturn budget for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in England  (a) was in each year from 2007-08 to 2010-11 and  (b) is expected to be for 2011-12.

Tim Loughton: The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service's (CAFCASS's) funded expenditure for each year from 2007-08 to 2009-10 was:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2007-08 108.550 
			 2008-09 120.627 
			 2009-10 132.449 
		
	
	These figures comprise CAFCASS's grant in aid funding from the Department and additional funding for specific activities. In this spending review period (2008-11), this additional funding has been for Contact Point and Family Contact Services.
	CAFCASS's allocated programme resource budget for 2010-11 is £140.7 million, including a one-off allocation of £10 million for service improvement and funding for Contact Point and Family Contact Services. CAFCASS's budget for 2011-12 has not yet been finalised.

Departmental Manpower

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials his Department has appointed on a fixed-term contract since 7 May 2010.

Tim Loughton: The Department for Education was established on 12 May 2010. The Department has appointed 14 staff on fixed-term contracts since that time.

Departmental Manpower

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the  (a) names and  (b) salaries are of each senior civil servant who has (i) joined, (ii) moved posts within and (iii) left his Department since May 2010.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 21 January 2011
	Information for Department's senior civil service (SCS) since May 2010 is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  SCS joiners 
			  Name (directorate only for individuals in the SCS below director level)  Gross basic salary 
			 Simon Parkes £135,000-£139,999 
			 David Hawker (1)n/a 
			 Infrastructure and Funding £55,000-£59,999 
			 Education Standards £55,000-£59,999 
			 Private Office £80,000-£84,999 
			 Finance and Corporate Services £65,000-£69,999 
			 Education Standards £65,000-£69,999 
			 Children, Young People and Families £80,000-£84,999 
			 Children, Young People and Families £80,000-£84,999 
			 Infrastructure and Funding £65,000-£69,999 
			 Education Standards £70,000-£74,999 
			 Finance and Corporate Services £60,000-£64,999 
			 (1) Seconded from the Welsh Assembly. 
		
	
	
		
			  SCS transfers within the Department 
			  Name (directorate only for individuals in the SCS below director level)  Gross basic salary 
			 Mela Watts £80,000-£84,999 
			 Andrew McCully £105,000-£109,999 
			 Jon Coles £135,000-£139,000 
			 David Hawker (1)n/a 
			 Education Standards £65,000-£69,999 
			 Infrastructure and Funding £65,000-£69,999 
			 Education Standards £65,000-£69,999 
			 Finance and Corporate Services £65,000-£69,999 
			 Finance and Corporate Services £85,000-£89,999 
			 Children, Young People and Families £65,000-£69,999 
			 Finance and Corporate Services £80,000-£84,999 
			 Infrastructure and Funding £7.P,000-£74,999 
			 Infrastructure and Funding £65,000-£69,999 
			 Education Standards £70,000-£74,999 
			 Education Standards £70,000-£74,999 
			 Infrastructure and Funding £75,000-£79,999 
			 Children, Young People and Families £65,000-£69,999 
			 Children, Young People and Families £100,000-£104,999 
			 (1) Seconded from the Welsh Assembly. 
		
	
	
		
			  SCS leavers 
			  Name (directorate only for individuals in the SCS below director level)  Gross basic salary 
			 Michael Hearty £105,000-£109,000 
			 Ian Taylor £130,000-£134,999 
			 Finance and Corporate Services £80,000-£84,999 
			 Schools £70,000-£74,999 
			 Young People £65,000-£69,999 
			 Corporate Services £90,000-£94,999 
			 Schools £80,000-£84,999 
			 Young People £65,000-£69,999 
			 Young People £60,000-£64,999

Education Maintenance Allowance

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effects of the operation of the education maintenance allowance on the number of young people from deprived backgrounds undertaking further education.

Nick Gibb: Department for Education analysis, based on the evidence from evaluation of the education maintenance allowance (EMA) pilots which ran from 1999 to 2004 in England, indicated that:
	around 18,000 young people participated in education at 16 in 2004/05 because of EMA-8% of the total number of 16 year old EMA recipients; and
	around 16,000 young people participated at 17 in 200506 because of EMA-9% of the total number of EMA recipients.
	These findings support and are consistent with the findings from more recent research which suggests that around 90% of recipients would have stayed on after 16 even if they had not received EMA. We are replacing EMA with an enhanced learner support fund.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to announce the funding for the replacement to education maintenance allowance (EMA); and what alternatives to EMA he is considering.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 17 January 2011
	 We plan to announce the allocations for the new funds in early spring.
	We are replacing EMA with an enhanced learner support fund. We will take account of the views of schools, colleges and training organisations, and the advice of the right hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes), as Advocate for Access to Education, regarding arrangements for the new fund.

Family Rights Group Kinship

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the allocation of funding by his Department to the Family Rights Group Kinship helpline in the next three years.

Sarah Teather: The Department opened a new procurement process on 6 December 2010 to fund family support telephone helplines and online services from April 2011. One of the aims of the family services procurement is to support children and young people in England through supporting their parents and families, with a particular focus on early intervention support for the most disadvantaged parents and families. The Family Rights Group was eligible to submit an application under this process.
	For commercial reasons, I cannot comment on any applications we have received from individual organisations until the outcome of the procurement process has been completed. I will write to the hon. Member to let him know the outcome once the procurement process is completed.

Languages: Classroom Assistants

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the British Council's language teaching assistantship scheme.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 27 January 2011
	The Language Assistants programme, which is managed for the Department by the British Council, will continue. The programme supports departmental and Government priorities by exposing pupils in our schools to mother-tongue speakers of other languages through the intake of foreign language assistants; and provides an opportunity for undergraduates from our universities to immerse themselves in a foreign language while working as an English language assistant in a school abroad.

Mature Students

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on maintaining present levels of access for mature students to higher education courses.

David Willetts: I have been asked to reply.
	Access to higher education is based on ability not age. Latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that almost two thirds of the student population are mature students. This Government are introducing reforms to the system of higher education (HE) funding aimed at producing a more sustainable environment to support access for those who can most benefit from all ages and backgrounds. We will provide up-front funding for tuition costs to those eligible first-time undergraduates who can secure a university place-both young people and mature students. For the first time, we are making loans available to eligible part-time students, living in England. Our National Scholarship Programme will be open to disadvantaged students with potential, irrespective of age.

Missing Persons: Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to take steps to replace national indicator 71 on missing children and adults.

Tim Loughton: Final decisions are yet to be made on future data collections.

Missing Persons: Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which local authorities have in place those procedures and protocols on the actions to be taken when children in care go missing or run away recommended in the statutory guidance published in July 2009.

Tim Loughton: This information is not collected centrally. However, all local authorities should be following statutory guidance.

Missing Persons: Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on the number of return interviews with children who had gone missing which were carried out in each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: This information is not collected centrally.

Missing Persons: Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has to improve the collection of national data on children who run away or go missing; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: The Department collects information on the number of looked after children absent for more than 24 hours from their agreed placement. However, it is the responsibility of local authorities to safeguard and promote the well-being of children in their care, and they will hold more detailed information on each child who has gone missing from their care. They are expected to use this to inform their processes and procedures, and the training of staff and carers, to minimise the risk of children going missing from local placements.

Missing Persons: Children

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what procedures are in place in his Department to monitor the implementation by local authorities of the statutory guidance of July 2009 on children who run away or go missing from their home or care; and if he will make a statement.

Tim Loughton: All local authorities should follow statutory guidance. The Department does not propose to monitor implementation. "Statutory Guidance on Children who Run Away and Go Missing from Home or Care" requires local authorities to collect information about missing from care incidents. Local Runaway and Missing from Home and Care protocols set out the arrangements for sharing this information with the police to make sure that action is taken to locate the child and minimise the likelihood of their going missing in future. Local authorities should make regular reports to council members with responsibility for "corporate parenting" on patterns of children going missing from care.

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will rank all secondary schools within each local authority area according to the proportion of children eligible for free school meals in January 2010 and indicate the category of school in each such case.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 24 January 2011
	 The requested information has been placed in the House Libraries.
	This information includes full time pupils aged 0 to 15 and part time pupils aged 5 to 15 known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals.

Schools: Admissions

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what account of birth rates is taken in planning pupil placing;
	(2)  what account he takes of existing trends in pupil numbers when determining future projections of pupil numbers in primary and secondary schools in the London borough of Newham.

Nick Gibb: Planning for future provision of school places is the statutory responsibility of local authorities. Ministers play no role in deciding future primary and secondary school provision in individual authorities. It is for each local authority to ensure there are sufficient school places to meet the needs of the population and to review the position regularly.
	As part of their strategic responsibility for school provision, local authorities prepare their own pupil number forecasts based on their knowledge of local circumstances. In producing these forecasts, local authorities are best placed to determine which local factors should be taken into account and the sources of information they use, for example local birth rate information, existing trends in pupil numbers, net migration and housing developments.

Schools: Finance

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has reached a decision on funding for schools in York Outer constituency for the period of the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: On 13 December, the Department announced the school funding allocations for 2011-12. We have protected school funding in the system at flat cash per pupil, before adding the pupil premium. Flat cash per pupil means that as pupil numbers go up, the overall budget goes up in line. It is now for local authorities to work with their schools forum to produce the 2011-12 budgets for their individual maintained schools.
	The funding levels for schools in York and other authorities from 2012-13 and beyond will be subject to review. As we set out in the Schools White Paper-"The Importance of Teaching"-we will consult this spring on developing and introducing a clear, transparent and fairer national funding formula based on the needs of pupils.

Schools: Sports

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effects of his Department's funding settlement for the comprehensive spending review period on expenditure on new school sports equipment.

Tim Loughton: The Schools White Paper, "The Importance of Teaching", sets out the Government's approach to school funding. We believe that the school funding system needs radical reform to make it more transparent, fairer and progressive. We have protected the schools budget in the recent spending review, at a time when cutting the budget deficit is an urgent national priority. It is for schools to decide what to spend on sports equipment, or on equipment for other areas of the curriculum.

Students: Finance

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to ring-fence within school and college budgets their allocation of proposed enhanced discretionary learner support funds.

Nick Gibb: Under current arrangements discretionary learner support funds are allocated as a discrete budget which can be used only for that purpose. We expect that the enhanced learner support fund will build on these arrangements. We are working with schools, colleges and other stakeholders as we finalise the details of how the enhanced fund will operate. That work will also be informed by the work of the Government's Advocate for Access to Education, the right hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes).

TREASURY

Carbon Reduction Commitment

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is considering any changes to the Carbon Reduction Commitment beyond those announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The Government are committed to simplifying the carbon reduction commitment (CRC) energy efficiency scheme. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) published a consultation paper on a first tranche of simplifications to the CRC last year which included delaying the start of the second phase and removing the requirement to register on information declarers. As previously announced it is DECC's intention to deliver further simplification for the second phase of the CRC and detailed options are being discussed with CRC participants. Decisions about allowance sales and price are a matter for the Chancellor.

Corporation Tax

David Davis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies have had outstanding tax liability of more than £100 million forgiven by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of the liability forgiven by HMRC in each year.

David Gauke: HMRC does not "forgive" tax. Where a company is unable to meet its tax liabilities HMRC will seek arrangements to obtain the tax. Tax will only be written off when it is clearly not recoverable.
	In seeking to determine tax liabilities HMRC will engage with taxpayers and their advisors to resolve disputes of fact and/or law. Such discussions can be complex and may involve grey areas within the tax system. If HMRC is unable to agree an appropriate settlement it will look to litigation or some form of arbitration.
	Under its normal rules of confidentiality HMRC cannot reveal details of individual settlements.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on payment of compensation to Equitable Life trapped annuitants.

Mark Hoban: The Government have announced that they will cover the full cost of losses to eligible with-profits annuitants. This will be paid through ongoing regular payments.
	The Treasury is in the process of preparing a detailed scheme design document that sets out the practical and delivery implications of the scheme. I will make this available for parliamentary scrutiny in the spring. This will allow final preparations for payments to be made. The Government's ambition is to start making payments in the middle of 2011.

EU Budget: Contributions

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the average daily net financial contribution of the UK to the EU in the latest period for which figures are available.

Justine Greening: The latest figures available on the UK's gross and net contributions in sterling were included in the Table 1.6 of the Public Finances Supplementary Data to the Office for Budget Responsibility's autumn forecast, published on 29 November and available on the OBR website.
	The last outturn data on UK's 'Net contribution to the EU budget' (which only takes into account public sector receipts from the EU) refers to the UK budgetary year 2009-10, and is £4.7 billion. This corresponds to a daily net contribution of around £12.9 million.

Excise Duties: Biofuels

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects on the renewable transport fuel industry of the level of duty for biodiesel produced from used cooking oil.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend (Norman Baker), on 13 December 2010,  Official Report, column 509W, to the hon. Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce). The Government routinely discusses tax matters with industry stakeholders and the Chancellor keeps all taxes under review along Budget timelines.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to change the three per cent. taxation rate on diesel fuel.

Justine Greening: The company car tax calculation for diesel powered cars includes a 3% supplement for all but early adopters of Euro 4 clean air emissions technology. The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review along Budget timelines.

Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of respondents to his Department's consultation on a gross profits tax on gaming machines were  (a) supportive of and  (b) opposed to the proposal.

Justine Greening: The Government's response to the consultation contains further information on the responses received, and can be found online at:
	http://hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/consult_gamingmachinestax _response.pdf

Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many gambling companies have requested meetings with Ministers and officials of his Department to discuss the implications of a gross profits tax on gaming machines since the publication of the proposal; and how many such meetings there have been.

Justine Greening: Treasury Ministers and officials meet representatives from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and implementation. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.
	The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations, available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the publication in January 2011 of draft legislation on the imposition of a Machine Games Duty is consistent with his Department's commitment in Tax Policy Making: Draft Tax Consultation Framework, 9 December 2010, Chapter 2, paragraph 6, to  (a) publish draft tax legislation at least three months before they are laid before Parliament and  (b) provide at least eight weeks for comment on draft tax legislation before it is laid before Parliament.

Justine Greening: The Government's current plan for taking forward machine games duty is to consult on draft legislation by early summer, with the intention of legislating in Finance Bill 2012.

Excise Duties: Gaming Machines

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what impact assessments have been conducted to analyse the potential effect of a machine games duty on the industry by  (a) his Department and  (b) external consultants; and what assessment has been made of the effect of these proposals on (i) adult amusement centres, (ii) coastal town economies and (iii) the wider tourism industry.

Justine Greening: The Government are seeking further input from industry on machine games duty, and it is intended that a formal consultation will be held by early summer.

Gaming Machines

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on achieving fiscal neutrality with respect to machines in betting shops.

Justine Greening: Fiscal neutrality is an important principle, requiring that supplies of similar goods or services be treated in the same way for VAT purposes to avoid any distortion of competition.
	The VAT treatment in respect of certain gaming machines is currently subject to legal challenge. The Court of Appeal and the Upper Tribunal have both made references to the European Court of Justice seeking advice on the interpretation and application of the fiscal neutrality principle in these specific circumstances.
	We await the rulings from the European Court of Justice.

Income Tax: Bradford

David Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in Bradford East constituency will no longer pay income tax as a result of the decision to increase the personal allowance by £1,000.

David Gauke: The number of persons taken out of income tax as a result of the £1,000 increase in the personal allowance in 2011-12 in the U.K. is estimated to be 880,000.
	This estimate is based on 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes data projected to 2011-12 in line with the June 2010 Budget assumptions.
	It not possible to produce reliable estimates for parliamentary constituencies due to small sample sizes at these levels of geography.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people paid income tax at the higher rate in each year since 1988.

David Gauke: Estimates for the number of higher rate taxpayers for 1990-91 onwards are shown in Table 2.1 'Number of individual income taxpayers' which can be found on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-1.xls
	Estimates for earlier years are shown in table 2.1a 'Number of taxpayers and income tax liabilities' which can be found on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-1a.xls
	These estimates are based on the annual Survey of Personal Incomes. Latest available survey data are for 2007-08, with projections for 2008-09 to 2010-11 based on economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's autumn forecast 2010.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bristol East of 21 July 2010,  Official Report, column 387W, on Revenue and Customs: telephone services, when he expects HM Revenue and Customs to complete its review of its telephone numbering strategy.

David Gauke: HMRC initially planned to conclude its review of its telephone numbering strategy by 31 March 2011. Since the review commenced, Ofcom has announced a consultation entitled "Simplifying Non-Geographic Numbers (Improving consumer confidence in 03, 08, 09, 118 and other non-geographic numbers)". The findings from the Ofcom consultation are due in spring 2011 and HMRC will conclude its review once it has considered the findings of the consultation.

Technology: Derby

Margaret Beckett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effects of his economic and fiscal policies on the high technology manufacturing sector in the City of Derby; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing the official economic and fiscal forecasts. The OBR's Budget forecast does not include a sub-national forecast.
	The Treasury is leading a Growth Review, jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, in order to create the conditions for economic growth and to improve the dynamism of the UK business environment. This will cover issues of importance to technology based companies including access to finance, better regulation and competition. In its first phase, the review is focusing on a number of sectors with a high technology content including advanced manufacturing, business and professional services, digital and creative industries, and health care and life sciences. A first report will be made by Budget 2011.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Audit Commission: Conferences

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the purpose was of the payment of £4,981 by the Audit Commission to Thomas Telford Ltd in May 2010; how many officials attended the conference to which the payment related; and for what reason.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to my hon. Friend direct.
	 Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 7 February 2011:
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The purpose of the payment of £4,981 to Thomas Telford Ltd was for the Audit Commission's 6th Annual Lecture that took place in July 2010.
	This event is attended by MPs, Directors from government agencies, Chief Executives of local authorities and health authorities, our contract partners, and trade and professional associations. It provides an opportunity for the Commission to stimulate and promote discussion on topics of interest to the public sector; and to those with an interest in the organisation's work. Previous speakers have included Lord Heseltine and Sir Gus O'Donnell. The guest speaker on this occasion was Professor Anthony King.
	One hundred and seventeen people attended this event. Some who indicated that they would attend did not do so.
	In July 2010, the Commission decided not to hold any further Annual Lecture events.

Audit Commission: Expenditure

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) purpose and  (b) cost was of the sundry debtor expenditure incurred by the Audit Commission in September 2010 relating to (i) Brook Green UK, (ii) Dish, (iii) Event Ensembles, (iv) Historic Royal Palaces Enterprises, (v) jwflowers.com and (vi) Leiths At the Centre.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct. However, I would comment that this illustrates how transparency can highlight wasteful spending. Particularly at a time when the public finances are in such a poor state, it is simply unacceptable for a public body-indeed a spending watchdog-to be using taxpayers' money (intended to be spent on promoting auditing best practice) to subsidise a string quartet and extravagant flower displays.
	 Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 7 February 2011:
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The purpose of the sundry debtor expenditure incurred by the Audit Commission in September 2010 was for the Eurorai Congress held in October 2010.
	Eurorai is a network of over 70 regional audit bodies in Europe that has been in place for nearly 20 years. In 2007, we agreed that we would act as the host and, at the time our abolition was announced, plans had been underway to organise the congress for three years.
	Following the Secretary of State's abolition announcement on 13 August 2010, we considered our position and, after discussion with Department for Communities and Local Government officials, we agreed to go ahead with the congress and fulfil our commitment.
	The congress was fully funded by Eurorai, and the dinner by a contribution from the Audit Commission and partner agencies, including from the accountancy profession and some private sector audit firms.
	The Audit Commission's contribution to the dinner was £5,000 and is not associated with any particular item of expenditure. All other expenses have been refunded by Eurorai or the partner agencies.
	Details of the costs are:
	
		
			  Supplier  Service  Cost (£) 
			 Brook Green UK Travel-congress 3,795.75 
			 Dish Catering-dinner 14,060.00 
			 Event Ensembles String quartet-dinner 550.00 
			 Historic Royal Palaces Enterprise Ltd. Banqueting House hire-dinner 8,050.00 
			 jwflowers.com Ltd. Flowers-dinner 1,280.00 
			 Leith's At The Centre. Catering-congress 6,285.90

Faithwise Ltd

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood of 26 January 2011,  Official Report, column 304W, on Faithwise Ltd: contracts, how much his Department has paid to Faithwise Ltd. since the beginning of the original contract.

Bob Neill: holding answer 4 February 2011
	 The Department has paid £368,666.14 inclusive of VAT to Faithwise since the beginning of the contract on 1 January 2007.

Faithwise Ltd

Christopher Pincher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood of 26 January 2011,  Official Report, column 304W, on Faithwise Ltd: contracts, if he will undertake a value for money assessment of the Faithwise consultancy contract.

Bob Neill: holding answer 4 February 2011
	 The Faithwise contract has been assessed for value for money on the basis of cost. We have terminated the contract.

Local Government Association

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions he has met representatives of the Local Government Association since May 2010.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and his ministerial team have met representatives of the Local Government Association 47 times.

Local Government Finance

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what level of unspecified savings he considers it acceptable for local councils to include when setting their budgets.

Bob Neill: There are many factors to be considered in setting budgets and these factors are best assessed at the local level. Local authorities are responsible for their own finances, and spending and budgeting decisions are for individual councils to make. Local authorities are required to set their budgets in accordance with their legal and fiduciary responsibilities.

Local Government: Powers

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to assess the extent to which the Government's localism agenda raises accountability issues; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: holding answer 2 February 2011
	 The Government are committed to strengthening local democratic accountability for local services and reversing the build up of bureaucratic central burdens that in recent years have increasingly prevented local leaders acting in the best interests of their communities. Increasing accountability goes hand in hand with localism. That is why the Government are, for example:
	Replacing the central imposition of council tax caps and instead giving local people the right to veto excessive increases in a referendum;
	Providing for directly elected mayors in 12 English cities, subject to approval in a referendum, and introducing directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners to replace unelected police authorities;
	Requesting that local authorities publish every item of expenditure over £500, so local residents can more easily hold them to account for their use of taxpayers money.

Localism

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of the term localism his Department uses.

Greg Clark: This Government have been clear that they want to see a radical redistribution of power away from central Government to local communities and people. In December I published "Decentralisation and the Localism Bill: an essential guide" which sets out the six essential actions required to deliver decentralisation down through every level of government to every citizen.

London Assembly

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what costs his Department has incurred in respect of the provision of information to the electorate on the  (a) operation and  (b) voting system for the London Assembly since the creation of the Assembly; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: It is for the Mayor and London Assembly to determine how much funding from the Greater London authority's budget should be allocated for the provision of information to the London electorate about the voting system and operation of the Assembly. My Department provides a contribution to the Authority's budget through a block grant, the General Greater London authority grant, but cannot specify how this funding is spent; the rest of the budget is funded by the Authority's council tax precept.

Mobile Homes

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to introduce a fit and proper person test for mobile home owners; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: Although I have no plans to introduce a fit and proper test for mobile home owners at present; I do intend shortly announce a series of other measures that I have in mind to better protect mobile home occupiers.

Parish Councils: Elections

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of elections to parish councils that were uncontested in each year since 1991.

Bob Neill: We have made no such estimates.

Social Rented Housing: Property Transfer

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which registered social landlords have notified the Tenant Services Authority of an intention to dispose of properties  (a) in and  (b) after 2011-12; and how many properties and what proportion of housing stock is to be disposed of in each case.

Grant Shapps: Private registered providers (previously known as 'registered social landlords') of social housing must apply for consent from the social housing regulator, the Tenant Services Authority, to dispose of property. The Tenant Services Authority collects data through its regulatory statistical return for disposals in previous years. However there is no requirement for providers to inform the Tenant Services Authority in advance of their intention to dispose at some point in the future.

Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions he has met representatives of the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities since May 2010.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and members of the ministerial team have met representatives of the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities three times.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Origin

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date his Department's contract with Atos Origin is due for renewal.

Chris Grayling: The DWP Medical Services contract was awarded to Atos Healthcare, a division of Atos Origin, in 2005 for a period of seven years, with the option to extend for a further three and then for a further two. In 2009, the Department negotiated an extension to the contract to 31 August 2015 in order to allow for the completion of incapacity benefit (IB) to ESA migration.

Cold Weather Payments: Vale of Glamorgan

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 December 2010,  Official Report, column 1180W, on cold weather payments, what temperatures were recorded at St Athan Weather Station between 17 December and 23 December 2009.

Steve Webb: Meteorological (Met) Office data for the St Athan weather station for recorded temperatures between 17 December and 23 December 2009 was as follows:
	
		
			   Temperature (° C) 
			  Date  Daily max( 1)  Daily min( 1)  Mean daily NCM( 1) 
			 17 December 2009 5.5 1.7 3.6 
			 18 December 2009 2.1 -1.3 0.4 
			 19 December 2009 5.4 -4.6 0.4 
			 20 December 2009 4.1 -3.2 0.4 
			 21 December 2009 2.6 -0.8 0.9 
			 22 December 2009 5.8 -4.0 0.9 
			 23 December 2009 5.0 -3.5 0.8 
			 (1) 0900-0900.

Council Tax Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his estimates of marginal rates of withdrawal in the welfare reform White Paper take account of payments of council tax benefit.

Steve Webb: All analysis presented to date includes the 20% council tax benefit taper when looking at marginal deduction rates in the current tax and benefit system. It also includes council tax support within the universal credit and is subject to the single overall taper of 65% when calculating marginal deduction rates under universal credit.
	The Government's announcement that they would give local authorities more say on the administration of council tax benefit will have implications for universal credit. As stated in the recent White Paper, "Universal Credit: Welfare That Works", the Government will work closely with local government and the devolved Administrations to develop the details of the proposal and to ensure that this reform does not undermine the positive impact of universal credit on work incentives.

Council Tax Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in receipt of council tax benefit are in employment;
	(2)  what the average weekly council tax benefit payment was to  (a) claimants of working age and  (b) pensioners in each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what the average weekly council tax benefit payment to recipients in work was in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  how many persons in receipt of council tax benefit are in employment in each local authority area;
	(5)  what the average weekly council tax benefit payment was for claimants in work in each local authority area in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information requested regarding the economic status of council tax benefit (CTB) recipients is not available.
	A copy of the available information has been placed in the Library.
	 Notes:
	1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	2. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Average awards are shown as pounds per week and rounded to the nearest penny.
	3. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems.
	It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns.
	The data are available monthly from November 2008 and October 2010 is the latest available.
	4. Data from SHBE incorporate the local authority changes from 1 April 2009.
	5. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	6. People claiming council tax benefit not in receipt of a passported benefit are recorded as being in employment if their local authority has recorded employment income from either the main claimant, or partner of claimant (if applicable), in calculating the housing benefit award. People receiving passported benefits who are working part-time cannot be identified.
	7. Age groups are based on the age on the count date (second Thursday in the month), of either:
	(a) the recipient if they are single, or
	(b) the elder of the recipient or partner if claiming as a couple
	8. Those local authorities shown in bold relate to an earlier or later month because of missing or incomplete data.
	Numbers differ slightly due to recipients movements between LAs.
	9. Housing benefit caseload and average weekly amounts are available at local authority area level and these are published on the Department's website at
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbctb.asp
	 Source:
	Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

Departmental Marketing

Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost to the public purse was of the manufacture and distribution of Department branded drinks coasters in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Nothing has been spent by DWP on Department branded drinks coasters in the current financial year (2010-11) and £1,468.49 was spent in 2009-10.

Departmental Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what single tender contracts his Department has awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold.

Chris Grayling: A total of 50 contracts have been awarded by single tender over the period from 12 May 2010 to present date. The majority are science research and technical support requirements for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and research contracts.
	The total number of single tender contracts awarded with an anticipated value above EU public procurement thresholds (taken as £101,000 or €393,000) is 12.
	The information has been placed in the Library comprising details of all single tender contracts (50) as specifically requested, and identifying 12 of those contracts as above the relevant threshold.

Departmental Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what regulations his Department has removed since 6 May 2010.

Chris Grayling: The Employment and Support Allowance (Transitional Provisions, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit) (Existing Awards) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/875) were revoked by the Employment and Support Allowance (Transitional Provisions, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit) (Existing Awards) (Revocation) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1906)
	The following regulations were revoked by the Equality Act 2010 (Disability) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2128):
	The Disability Discrimination (Meaning of Disability) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1455)
	The Disability Discrimination (Providers of Services) (Adjustment of Premises) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/3253)
	The Disability Discrimination (Blind and Partially Sighted Persons) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/712)
	The Disability Discrimination (Employment Field) (Leasehold Premises) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/153)
	The Disability Discrimination (Educational Institutions) (Alteration of Leasehold Premises) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/1070)
	The Disability Discrimination (Service Providers and Public Authorities Carrying Out Functions) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/2901)
	The Disability Discrimination (Private Clubs etc) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3258)
	The Disability Discrimination (Premises) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/887).
	The Vaccine Damage Payment (Specified Disease) Order (S.I. 2009/2516) was revoked by the Vaccine Damage Payments (Specified Disease) (Revocation and Savings) Order 2010 (S.I. 2010/1988).
	The Transfer of State Pensions and Benefits Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007 (SR (NI) 2007/286) were revoked by the Transfer of State Pensions and Benefits (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/1825).

Disability Living Allowance: Scotland

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of disability living allowance and aged between 25 and 35 years are resident in  (a) Dumfries and Galloway local authority area and  (b) Dumfries and Galloway constituency; and how many of these are also in receipt of (i) housing benefit and (ii) local housing allowance.

Maria Miller: The number of people in receipt of disability living allowance and aged between 25 and 35 years (inclusive) resident in  (a) Dumfries and Galloway local authority area and  (b) Dumfries and Galloway constituency are provided in the following table.
	The numbers also in receipt of (i) housing benefit and (ii) local housing allowance are not available. Information is available on the number of housing benefit claimants in receipt of a passporting benefit. However because disability living allowance is not a housing benefit passporting benefit the number of DLA claimants also receiving housing benefit is not available.
	
		
			  Number 
			   All  Age of claimant 
			25 to 35 (inclusive)  Other 
			 Dumfries and Galloway local authority 10,130 590 9,540 
			 Dumfries and Galloway parliamentary constituency 6,740 430 6,310 
			  Notes:  1. Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Figures do not include people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.  3. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, May 2010

Employment and Support Allowance: Fife

Gordon Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of claimants of employment and support allowance in Fife local authority area have been judged fit for work since May 2008; how many appeals against such determinations were initiated; and how many such appeals were granted.

Chris Grayling: Employment and support allowance (ESA) was introduced in October 2008. Eligibility for ESA is determined by the Work Capability Assessment (WCA).
	Between October 2008 and May 2010 (the latest data available), 3,220 or 46% of people who made an application for ESA in the Fife local authority area were found fit for work at the initial WCA.
	There have been 890 appeals concluded from people who started their claim for ESA in Fife between October 2008 and November 2009 (the latest data available). These are cases that have been found fit for work at initial WCA, have appealed this decision and had their appeal heard by the Tribunals Service. Of those appeals that have been heard, 390 found in favour of the appellant, meaning their entitlement to ESA was reinstated.
	Information on the number of appeals that have been initiated but not yet concluded is not available.
	Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely there are more appeals that have not yet been heard, so the number of appeals is likely to change as more up to date information becomes available. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data from the Tribunals Service. All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	The Department regularly publishes official statistics on ESA and the WCA. The latest report was published in January 2011 and can be found on the internet at the following link:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/index.php?page=esa_wca_arc

Employment and Support Allowance: Scotland

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 28 October 2010,  Official Report, column 432W, on employment and support allowance: Scotland, what proportion of the 37 per cent. of claimants for employment and support allowance that terminated their claims before their assessment was completed  (a) entered employment,  (b) claimed jobseeker's allowance and  (c) claimed income support between October 2008 and February 2010.

Chris Grayling: Of people claiming employment support allowance (ESA) in Scotland who ended their claim between October 2008 and February 2010 before their work capability assessment (WCA) was complete, administrative data shows that:
	31% claimed jobseeker's allowance; and
	4% claimed income support.
	Note that for 43% of leavers the destination is not known. Only destinations which occur within six weeks of the end of the ESA claim are recorded. These statistics are based on combining information on people claiming ESA who ended their claim before completing assessment with information on the destination of people leaving benefit.
	Statistics on the number of people leaving ESA and going into work are not available from administrative data. However a recent survey on ESA ("Employment and Support Allowance: Findings from a face-to-face survey of customers") recorded that around 41% of participants who left ESA before completing assessment had then moved into some form of employment. This would account for a substantial proportion of the 43% of leavers with an unknown destination. See section 5.3, page 70 onwards of the survey for further details:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2009-2010/rrep707.pdf

Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 January 2011,  Official Report, columns 5-6WS, on incapacity benefit reassessment, how many of the incapacity benefit customers reassessed in the trials taking place in Aberdeen and Burnley were  (a) placed in the employment and support allowance (ESA) support group,  (b) placed in the work-related activity group and  (c) found ineligible for ESA; and how many of those found ineligible for ESA have subsequently made a claim for jobseeker's allowance.

Chris Grayling: The IB re-assessment trials have been running in Aberdeen and Burnley since October 2010. In total 1,700 people will go through the IB reassessment process in these areas.
	As the trials have not yet concluded, we do not have complete information on the results of the work capability assessments that have been carried out nor their subsequent destinations. Prior to national reassessment, the Department will be examining the available information on outcomes of work capability assessments conducted as part of the trial.
	The Department is also conducting research into the views and experiences of customers and staff involved in trial IB reassessment. A report of this will be published in the DWP research report series in spring 2011.

Employment: Scotland

Gordon Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) Fife local authority area and  (b) Scotland have been placed into employment as a result of funding from the Future Jobs Fund in each year since the scheme's inception.

Chris Grayling: The most recent Young Person's Guarantee statistics were published on 19 January 2011 and are available here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/jsa/ypg/ypg_jan2011.pdf
	Statistics are available on the Future Jobs Fund which covers the period from October 2009 to the end of October 2010. They show that there were 7,740 recorded Future Jobs Fund starts in Scotland. Of which 430 were in the Fife local authority area.

Housing Benefit: Disability Living Allowance

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will assess the effects of his proposed cap on the level of household benefits on the number of applications for disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: Households which include a member who is receiving disability living allowance will be exempt from the impacts of the benefit cap. This is in acknowledgement that DLA recipients face additional costs of every day living.
	Claims for disability living allowance will continue to be determined by the assessment process.
	We are unable to predict the effects of the benefit cap on the number of applications for disability living allowance.
	On 6 December we launched a consultation on the reform of disability living allowance with the key proposal of a new benefit, to be known as personal independence payment, which will be introduced from 2013. The consultation proposed that personal independence payment should be subject to a new, more objective assessment process enabling us to more accurately and consistently assess individuals to determine who will benefit most from additional support.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2011,  Official Report, column 300W, on methane: natural gas, whether the Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Construction, etc) Regulations 1996 cover  (a) onshore drilling for shale gas and coal bed methane and  (b) hydraulic fracturing.

Chris Grayling: HSE has regulatory responsibility for the safety of these activities and so as Minister responsible for Health and Safety I am providing a response to this question. I can confirm that well construction and well integrity activities associated with onshore drilling for shale gas and coal bed methane, and hydraulic fracturing, are within scope of the Offshore Installations and Wells (Design and Construction, etc.) Regulations 1996.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2011,  Official Report, column 300W, on methane: natural gas, what the legislative and regulatory provisions refer specifically to  (a) onshore drilling for shale gas and coal bed methane and  (b) hydraulic fracturing; and whether such provisions have been reviewed and amended in the last two years.

Chris Grayling: HSE has regulatory responsibility for the safety of these activities and so as Minister responsible for Health and Safety I am providing a response to this question. I can confirm that no health and safety legislation specifically refers to onshore drilling for shale gas and coal bed methane, or hydraulic fracturing.
	The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and most of the regulations made under the Act apply to these work activities. Some regulations (e.g. Offshore Installation and Wells (Design and Construction, etc) Regulations 1996 and the Borehole Sites and Operations Regulations 1995) place specific requirements on work activities associated with the onshore extraction of petroleum (oil or gas), which includes onshore drilling for shale gas and coal bed methane.
	The regulations which place specific requirements on work activities associated with the onshore extraction of petroleum have not been reviewed or amended in the last two years, but the guidance to these regulations was updated in 2008.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer which the Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change, the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), gave to you on 24 January 2011,  Official Report, column 67W. This sets out the other regulatory bodies and provisions in place relevant to these activities.

Offshore Industry: Safety

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2011,  Official Report, column 300W, on methane: natural gas, whether he has had recent discussions at Ministerial or official level on the preparedness of the Health and Safety Executive for onshore drilling for shale gas and coal bed methane using hydraulic fracturing.

Chris Grayling: HSE has regulatory responsibility for the safety of these activities and so as Minister responsible for Health and Safety I am providing a response to this question. The Health and Safety Executive have confirmed to me their preparedness for onshore drilling for shale gas and coal bed methane using hydraulic fracturing.

Parkinson's Disease

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the suitability of the work capability assessment for people with  (a) Parkinson's disease and  (b) other long-term fluctuating neurological conditions.

Chris Grayling: The WCA is a functional assessment-it is not based on someone's diagnosis or health condition but on their functional capability. It is based on the principle that a health condition or disability should not automatically be regarded as a barrier to work and aims to identify whether an individual, with the right support, could prepare for a return to suitable work.
	The WCA is designed to recognise fluctuating conditions-rather than being a 'snap shot', it looks at capability most of the time: if someone is unable to do something reliably, repeatedly and safely they are considered unable to do it at all.
	Having accepted all the recommendations of Professor Harrington's first independent review, we have now appointed him to conduct a second independent review in which he will focus in particular on fluctuating conditions. Professor Harrington will work with organisations representing people with fluctuating conditions to review and recommend improvements to the assessment.

Social Security Benefits

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the number of couples choosing to live apart for financial reasons of his proposed cap on the maximum annual amount of benefits one family can claim.

Chris Grayling: No assessment has been made of the likely effects on the number of families choosing to live apart as a result of the household cap on total benefit income.

Social Security Benefits: Kirkcaldy

Gordon Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of the working age population of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency are in receipt of  (a) jobseeker's allowance,  (b) unemployment allowance,  (c) carer's allowance,  (d) disability living allowance,  (e) widow's or bereavement benefit and  (f) other income support.

Chris Grayling: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Working age client group split by statistical group in Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, May 2010 
			  Statistical group  Caseload  Percentage of population 
			 All 9,540 16.5 
			 Job seeker 2,940 5.1 
			 Incapacity benefits 3,580 6.2 
			 Lone parents 1,270 2.2 
			 Carer 810 1.4 
			 Other on income related benefits 140 0.2 
			 Disabled 660 1.1 
			 Bereaved 140 0.2 
			  Notes:  1. Data are rounded to the nearest 10, percentages to one decimal place.  2. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010.  3. Percentage population figures have been calculated using General Register Office for Scotland population estimates as at 2008 for working age claimants, i.e. males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59.  4. State pension age: The age at which women reach state pension age will gradually increase from 60 to 65 between April 2010 and April 2020. This will introduce a small increase to the number of working age benefit recipients and a small reduction to the number of pension age recipients. As percentages were required this table has been prepared using males aged 16 to 64 and females aged 16 to 59 and will therefore not match published figures.  5. Statistical group is a hierarchical variable. A person who fits into more than one category will appear only in the top-most one for which they are eligible. For example a claimant of disability living allowance and jobseeker's allowance would appear in "Job seeker", not in "Disabled".  6. Lone parents are defined as claimants on income support with child under 16 and no partner. Lone parent obligations were introduced from 24 November 2008 affecting the age of the youngest child.  7. From November 2008 the "incapacity benefits group" includes employment and support allowance (ESA). ESA replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. Prior to this the "incapacity benefits group" referred to claimants of incapacity benefit (including credits only) or severe disablement allowance including people claiming IS on the grounds of incapacity.  8. Caseload figures used for AA, CA and DLA include those cases with entitlement but where payment is currently suspended (for example, because of an extended stay in hospital or an overlapping benefit).  9. The key benefits which are currently included in the working-age client group data are: Bereavement benefit Carer's allowance Disability living allowance Incapacity benefit Severe disablement allowance Income support (including pension credit for males aged 60 to 64) Jobseeker's allowance Widow's benefit.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS. General Register Office for Scotland Mid-Term Population Estimates, 2008.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether staffing levels were increased during the trial of the reassessments of customers receiving incapacity benefit and income support in north east Scotland.

Chris Grayling: Increased provision was made for the additional activities involved in the delivery of the reassessment trial. Approximately 20 benefit centre staff were redeployed for the period of the exercise. No new staff were recruited.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long appeals by customers against benefit entitlement reassessments during the trial in north east Scotland took to process on average.

Chris Grayling: The IB reassessment trial is still under way. Due to the end to end length of the customer journey, it is too early to provide information on the number of customers who have asked to appeal against their decision and how long the appeals will take to process.

Work Capability Assessment

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on the work capability assessment.

Chris Grayling: We welcome the first Independent Review of the Work Capability Assessment, led by Professor Malcolm Harrington. Published on 23 November 2010, it is a thorough review that has reviewed a substantial amount of evidence. To inform the review, Professor Harrington made a call for evidence, to which he had over 400 responses. The responses came from individuals, organisations and representative bodies.
	As a result of his review of this evidence, Professor Harrington has come forward with a wide range of far-reaching and challenging proposals which the Government fully support.
	We are committed to taking forward the review's recommendations so that we can make the system fairer and more effective. The Government response to Professor Harrington's review sets out how and when we will implement the recommendations of the review, the majority of which will be in place in time for the national roll-out of the incapacity benefits Reassessment programme.

Work Capability Assessment

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the backlog of work capability assessment claims awaiting hearing of an appeal by the Tribunal Service to be cleared; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
	There are always a number of 'live' appeals in the first tier tribunal-social security and child support (SSCS) progressing through the stages of receipt, decision and promulgation. This total level of work in hand cannot be described as a backlog.
	As the volume of SSCS receipts has increased significantly and rapidly beyond original forecasts, the capacity of the Tribunals Service to deal with them has also increased in response; the number of employment support allowance and incapacity benefit cases disposed of in the second quarter of 2010-11 were more than double those cleared in the equivalent period the preceding year.
	In September 2010, in respect of employment support allowance and incapacity benefit appeals, capacity increases made within SSCS, meant that around a third of the work in hand was in excess of normal levels. As the Tribunals Service capacity continues to increase, it expects to return to normal levels of work in hand for employment support allowance and incapacity benefit cases by summer 2011.

Work Capability Assessment

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in respect of how many work capability assessments the Jobcentre Plus decision-makers' final decision differed from the initial Atos recommendation in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many of those cases were returned to Atos for reconsideration.

Chris Grayling: Employment and support allowance (ESA) was introduced in October 2008. A key factor in determining eligibility for ESA is the work capability assessment (WCA). The WCA is carried out by health care professionals employed by Atos Healthcare. A report of the WCA is then sent to Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus decision makers (JCP DMs) have to consider all the available information before making a decision on benefit entitlement. Any additional evidence provided by a customer's GP or consultant is important and is fully considered as part of this process.
	The Department therefore holds information on both the recommendation made by Atos Healthcare at assessment and separate information on the JCP DM's final decision. We can determine where the decision differs but not why the decision was changed or whether a case was returned for reconsideration. Where the final JCP DM decision differs to the original Atos recommendation we refer to the decision being a result of "at reconsideration" which may or not involve a return of the case to Atos.
	The number of people for whom Atos recommended they be placed in the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) and the Support Group (SG) and additional people who were placed in the WRAG or SG based on the JCP DM decision is presented in the following table. Please note that the impact of appeals is not included.
	
		
			  Table 1: ATOS recommendations of placement in the ESA Work Related Activity Group and additional people placed in the ESA Work Related Activity Group at reconsideration by Jobcentre Plus decision maker 
			  Claim start month  WRAG-based on ATOS recommendation  Additional people placed in WRAG at reconsideration by JCP DM 
			  2008   
			 October 1,200 80 
			 November 5,700 370 
			 December 5,420 330 
			
			  2009   
			 January 7,450 460 
			 February 6,920 450 
			 March 8,050 580 
			 April 7,750 600 
			 May 7,820 580 
			 June 8,480 690 
			 July 8,690 740 
			 August 8,120 710 
			 September 8,840 840 
			 October 8,160 860 
			 November 7,900 780 
			 December 6,850 660 
			
			  2010   
			 January 8,800 830 
			 February 8,300 700 
			 March 8,670 700 
			 April 8,020 690 
			 May 7,110 620 
			 Total 148,270 12,230 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: ATOS recommendations of placement in the ESA Support Group and additional people placed in the ESA Support Group at reconsideration by Jobcentre Plus decision maker 
			  Claim start month  SG-based on ATOS recommendation  Additional people moved to SG-at reconsideration 
			  2008   
			 October 670 40 
			 November 2,670 250 
			 December 2,440 240 
			
			  2009   
			 January 2,960 300 
			 February 2,660 300 
			 March 3,000 340 
			 April 2,900 320 
			 May 2,970 330 
			 June 3,040 370 
			 July 3,480 350 
			 August 3,030 340 
			 September 3,430 320 
			 October 2,950 350 
			 November 3,030 320 
			 December 2,660 280 
			
			  2010   
			 January 3,040 290 
			 February 2,810 260 
			 March 3,150 290 
			 April 2,950 250 
			 May 2,680 230 
			 Total 56,480 5,770

Work Capability Assessment

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many re-assessments of work capability assessments were undertaken within  (a) three months,  (b) three to six months,  (c) six to nine months,  (d) 12 to 15 months and  (e) 15 to 18 months of the original assessment in each of the last three years.

Chris Grayling: Employment and support allowance (ESA) was introduced in October 2008. Eligibility for ESA is determined by the work capability assessment (WCA).
	Following the first WCA, those placed on the benefit will be given a provisional date for reassessment via a further WCA. The timing of this is determined by the nature of their health condition(s).
	The table shows the number of initial reassessments via the WCA process that have occurred in the time periods shown, at the national level.
	Data are provided for ESA claims starting from October 2008 up to May 2010, the latest data available. These figures are subject to change as more up to date information becomes available.
	
		
			  Number of repeat WCA nationally 
			   Date of ESA claim start 
			  Time between initial and 1( st)  repeat WCA  October 2008 to March 2009  April 2009 to March 2010  April 2010 to May 2010 
			 Within 3 months 250 400 60 
			 3 to 6 months 1,130 6,150 620 
			 6 to 9 months 6,010 20,540 60 
			 9 to 12 months 4,660 6,880 0 
			 12 to 15 months 8,380 5,860 0 
			 15 to 18 months 3,660 980 0 
			  Source: Benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions 
		
	
	The Department regularly publishes official statistics on ESA and the WCA, the latest report was released in January 2011. The reports can be found on the internet here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/index.php?page=esa_wca_arc

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices: Newton Abbot

Anne-Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to assist employers in Newton Abbot constituency to take on an apprentice.

John Hayes: We are committed to expanding the Apprenticeship programme nationally and we are determined to make it easier for employers of all sizes and in all regions to take on apprentices. In England, we have increased funding for Apprenticeships to over £1.4 billion in the 2011-12 financial year. This means we will have funding in place to train over 300,000 apprentices (at all ages).
	The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has worked closely with South Devon College on a joint initiative to increase the number of new Apprenticeship places in the South Devon area, including Newton Abbot, and is also promoting the local 'Skills Boost' initiative
	As part of National Apprenticeship Week (7 to 11 February 2011), the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has arranged a number of local events in the area, including in Newton Abbot, where I understand that my hon. Friend, the Member for Newton Abbot will be meeting local apprentices recruited to the new Building Services framework.

Carers: Flexible Working

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with  (a) employers and  (b) carers' organisations on possible changes to flexible working opportunities for carers. [R]

Edward Davey: I have had a number of discussions with employer and employee representative groups, including carers' organisations, to discuss the Government's commitment to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees. This extension will enable more carers, including friends and neighbours, to request flexible working to support their caring responsibilities.
	I will shortly launch a full consultation on the extension to the right to request flexible working alongside proposals on flexible parental leave and equal pay.

Exports

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage new exports.

Mark Prisk: The Government will shortly publish a Trade and Investment White Paper which will set out the Government's framework for encouraging trade and investment in the UK and internationally.
	Linked to this, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is developing a new strategy as part of the Government's growth review. This will set out new priorities for trade promotion. It is through these activities this Department encourages businesses new to exporting to discover and seize international opportunities, and more experienced exporters to improve their exporting capability.
	UKTI services are delivered through a network of international trade advisers in England, partner organisations in the devolved Administrations and staff in 96 overseas markets. In 2009/10, UKTI provided significant help to some 23,600 exporters generating over £5 billion of added value to the UK economy.

Higher Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the quality of information higher education institutions make available to potential students; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Government's future vision for higher education is a system where students have real choice. As such, a major priority for the Government is to improve the quality of information available to potential students, so that more informed choices on course and university can be made.
	Last year the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) commissioned detailed research to identify the key pieces of information which students say they find useful. This has directly informed the development of the proposed Key Information Set (KIS).
	The introduction of the KIS is a significant step forward. It will provide a standard set of 17 items of information for each course, to be made available on university websites. However, I see this as just the start of a process to radically increase the quality of information available to students, to present it in much more innovative ways, and to encourage new providers into the student information market.
	HEFCE are currently holding a public consultation on the content of the KIS. Final recommendations will be made by the Higher Education Public Information Steering Group in spring 2011, and a further statement will be made in the Higher Education White Paper.

Higher Education: Admissions

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of  (a) undergraduate and  (b) postgraduate degree starters were (i) men and (ii) women in the last 12 months for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of  (a) undergraduate and  (b) postgraduate degree starts were non-EU students in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is shown in the table. Figures for the 2010/11 academic year will be available in January 2012.
	
		
			  Proportion of entrants( 1)  to postgraduate courses( 2)  and undergraduate degree courses( 3)  by gender and domicile. UK higher education institutions. Academic year 2009/10 
			  Percentage 
			   Postgraduate  Undergraduate degree 
			 Female 55 55 
			 Male 45 45 
			 UK 62 86 
			 EU 8 5 
			 Non-EU 29 9 
			 (1) Covers entrants of all domiciles to both full-time and part-time courses. (2) Covers entrants to all postgraduate courses. (3) Cover entrants to first degree courses only, therefore excludes other undergraduate courses such as foundation degrees, HND/Cs etc.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population. Due to rounding, components may not sum 100%.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Admissions

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of students who were  (a) eligible and  (b) not eligible for free school meals at the age of 16 years started undergraduate courses in 2010;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of students who were  (a) eligible and  (b) not eligible for free school meals at the age of 16 years began undergraduate courses at Russell Group universities in 2010.

David Willetts: The requested information is not available for 2010. The most recent data available for the 2007/08 academic year have been provided in the table and relate to pupils aged 15 rather than age 16. Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available later this year.
	It is known that not all pupils who are eligible for free school meals claim them. Such pupils would be excluded from these figures. These rounded estimates allow for a small margin of error that arises as result of the matching procedure deployed.
	
		
			  Estimates of the number and proportion of pupils aged 15 in 2003/04, in English maintained schools, who progressed to HE by age 19 in 2007/08 
			Number  Percentage (%) 
			 Young persons in UK HE(1) FSM(2) 12,600 15 
			  Non-FSM(2) 169,500 33 
			 
			 of which Russell Group HEIs FSM 1,100 1 
			  Non-FSM 34,000 7 
			 (1) Includes HE level courses at English further education colleges. (2) FSM and non-FSM indicate receipt and non-receipt of free school meals respectively.  Note: In 2003/04 there were 82,800 maintained school pupils aged 15 claiming free school meals. This represents 14% of all pupils in English maintained schools.  Source: Matched data from the National Pupil Database, the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record and the Individualised Learner Record. All figures are estimates and numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Higher Education: Applications

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department plans to make alternative provision for higher education for university applicants who are unsuccessful in application for university places in the academic years to 2015-16.

David Willetts: Entry to university is and should be competitive. Universities offer places on the basis of merit. Inevitably, not all applicants will gain a place. Many of these applicants will, however, be successful in subsequent years. A strong demand for places was expected this year so universities will be able to recruit the same number of new students in 2011 as in 2010. In addition, this Government have already expanded the alternatives to university, by providing 50,000 new places on apprenticeships, for which there is rising employer demand. Our reforms will also make part-time university study more accessible.

Higher Education: Science

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with higher education institutions on promoting science and innovation; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: I have had many recent discussions on promoting science and innovation with higher education institutions (HEIs), both individually and through representative bodies. My statement to Parliament on 20 December 2010,  Official Report, column 135WS, sets out the Government's position.

Industrial Health and Safety

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress his Department has made in reviewing the  (a) employment law and  (b) health and safety regulations for which it is responsible since his appointment.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is leading the employment law review across Government. This is an ongoing project where Departments with responsibility for employment law, including BIS, are considering their legislation area by area. As part of this, we last week published a consultation on reforming the employment tribunal system, "Resolving Workplace Disputes", which is a major first step in the review.
	This Department is not responsible for health and safety at work regulations, which fall to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Nuclear Power: Training

John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to encourage school leavers to train in nuclear engineering.

John Hayes: The UK and global Nuclear New Build industry, together with decommissioning both in the UK and in other markets, represents a huge career opportunity, requiring new entrants. The Government are working with skills partners to ensure career opportunities are realised from this market and employers have the skills they need. Demand is being raised among school leavers through road shows, the children's and adults' careers information services, the STEM ambassadors programme, and the development of new qualifications. There is strong demand for specialist nuclear apprenticeship, further education and degree programmes, as well as for the generic engineering construction skills needed by the industry.

Overseas Students: Loans

Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what measures are in place to ensure that students from other EU countries studying in the UK repay their student loans after leaving the UK.

David Willetts: Student loans in England are only available to those who meet the relevant residence requirements. The Student Loans Company (SLC) applies the same mechanisms to all borrowers who move overseas after leaving their course.
	When borrowers move abroad, whether temporarily or because they live in another country, they must give the SLC information about their location and earnings. SLC will determine whether the borrower should be making repayments and if so, gives them a monthly repayment schedule under the terms of the contract of the loan. The SLC will convert the income into pound sterling and tell the borrower the amount they will need to pay each month in pound sterling.
	Where borrowers move overseas and do not notify the SLC, they may be charged penalties which will be added to the outstanding loan amount. They may also have to pay the costs of any trace agents employed by SLC. In some circumstances, they may have to repay the full outstanding amount in a single payment.
	Effective collection of student loans across the EU is underpinned by EC regulation 44/2001, which allows the SLC to obtain judgments in UK courts which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries. Borrowers who choose to disregard their obligation will be pursued by SLC and where appropriate, court orders will be sought.

Overseas Trade: Israel

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the contribution to the economy of trade with Israel.

Mark Prisk: The benefits of international trade to the economy result from greater economic efficiency due to a combination of increased competition in markets, comparative advantages, economies of scale, increased opportunities for learning, and greater incentives for innovation. Due to the difficulty of differentiating between the impact of trade and other factors on growth, it is not possible to quantify precisely the impact of trade with another country on the economy.
	The UK exports of goods and services to Israel in 2009 were worth the equivalent of about 0.12% of UK Gross Domestic Product at market prices. Imports from Israel were worth the equivalent of about 0.10% of GDP.

Part-time Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) 18 to 24 year olds and  (b) over 24 year olds studied on (i) part-time undergraduate degrees, (ii) part-time foundation degrees and (iii) part-time other undergraduate degrees in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

David Willetts: The numbers of English-domiciled part-time undergraduate enrolments at UK higher education institutions are shown by age group and level of study in Table 1. Figures are taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record and are provided for the 2009/10 academic year. Figures for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from January 2012.
	The numbers of English-domiciled part-time undergraduate enrolments at English further education colleges are shown by age group and level of study in Table 2. Figures are taken from the Skills Funding Agency Individualised Learning Record and are provided for the 2008/09 academic year. Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will become available later this year.
	
		
			  Table 1: English-domiciled part-time undergraduate enrolments by age group and level of study UK higher education institutions. Academic year 2009/10 
			   Age group  
			  Level of study  Under 18  18-24  25 and over  Total 
			 First degree 225 41,115 130,435 171,770 
			 Foundation degree 40 8,765 27,270 36,080 
			 Other undergraduate(1) 6,765 35,115 205,295 247,180 
			 (1) Includes students enrolled on higher national diplomas (HNDs), higher national certificates (HNCs), diplomas and certificates of higher education, national vocational qualifications (NVQs) at undergraduate level and other sub-degree courses.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: English-domiciled part-time undergraduate enrolments by age group and level of study English further education colleges. Academic year 2008/09 
			   Age group  
			  Level of study  Under 18  18-24  25 and over  Total 
			 First degree 5 4,250 3,815 8,065 
			 Foundation degree 160 14,185 42,285 56,625 
			 Other undergraduate(1) 30 6,765 8,580 15,375 
			 (1) Includes students enrolled on higher national diplomas (HNDs), higher national certificates (HNCs), diplomas and certificates of higher education and other sub-degree courses.  Note: Figures have been rounded up or down to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals.  Source: Skills Funding Agency Individualised Learning Record (L05).

Post Offices

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to ensure post offices are able to provide a variety of services to customers.

Edward Davey: We set out our plans for the future of the post office network, including the variety of services that customers will be able to access, in our policy statement "Securing the Post Office Network in the Digital Age", published on 9 November 2010. This includes our aim to see the post office becoming a genuine front office for Government at both the local and national level, and the expansion of accessible and affordable financial services.
	Copies of the policy statement have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Skills and Jobs Retention Group

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the membership of the Skills and Jobs Retention Group is; whether it has met since its establishment; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Skills and Jobs Retention Group is an industry-led group created to ensure that high value skills in the defence sector can be effectively redeployed where there are industrial changes as a result of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.
	The Group has had two full formal sessions: a teleconference on 17 December 2010 and a meeting on 12 January 2011. There has also been regular discussion between group members, and with other individuals, businesses and organisations to progress work. The Secretary of State met Chairman, Allan Cook, on 31 January 2011 to discuss the activity under way and progress overall. By the end of March 2011, the Group will have developed an action plan to assist redeployment, which will be considered as part of the ongoing work to remove barriers to growth and improve conditions for business success within the Advanced Manufacturing strand of the Growth Review.

Social Enterprises

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) not-for-profit and  (b) community interest companies were registered in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: Companies House does not differentiate between not for profit and other companies, therefore the information is not available. The number of community interest companies registered in each of the last five years is as follows.
	
		
			   Number of community interest companies 
			 2007 44 
			 2008 872 
			 2009 1,298 
			 2010 1,596 
			 2011 178

Student Loans Company: Complaints

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many disputes between the Student Loans Company and individuals in  (a) Romsey and Southampton North constituency and  (b) England were pending a resolution in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Willetts: Disputes raised with the Student Loans Company (SLC) are dealt with under the SLC's complaints handling procedures. The SLC does not organise complaints figures by constituency, but is able to identify complaints raised by individual Members of Parliament.
	SLC records show my hon. Friend raised three disputes on behalf of your constituents in Romsey and Southampton North. These were dealt with in July and September 2010 and in January 2011 and there are currently no cases known to be pending a resolution.
	As of 3 February, the latest date for which figures are available, a total of 149 complaints were awaiting a response from the SLC. The SLC is not readily able to say how many of these are in relation to English domiciled students.

Students: Finance

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to allocate additional funding for student finance to university courses in  (a) early years education,  (b) emergency care and  (c) other strategically important subjects.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Funding Council allocates funding for teaching at the institutional and course level. The Government will set out its proposals on how it sees funding for university teaching operating in future in our forthcoming White Paper. This will include proposals on the future funding of strategically important and vulnerable subjects.

Students: Loans

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2011,  Official Report, column 600W, on overseas students: EU nationals, how many judgments in UK courts secured by the Student Loans Company were being actively enforced through court orders in other EU countries in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 4 February 2011
	EC Regulation 44/2001 enables the Student Loans Company (SLC) to obtain judgments in UK courts, which can be enforced by courts in other EU countries. These judgments can be enforced against any borrower who has moved to another EU member state, regardless of nationality. This route would not be available in the event that a graduate tax was implemented.
	Tuition fee loans have been available for EU students since 2006/07. The first main cohort of these students commenced their repayments in April 2010, provided that their income was above the appropriate threshold.
	In 2009, the SLC successfully raised nine judgments against EU borrowers. The SLC enforced some in Scottish courts and some in other EU countries. This group of borrowers were those who had left their courses and who came into repayment earlier than the first main cohort. We cannot break the information down further as it could compromise the confidentiality of individuals.

Working Hours: EU Law

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will assess the effect of the operation of the European working time directive on levels of wellbeing.

Edward Davey: The working time regulations give all workers an entitlement to regular rest and annual leave and ensure that workers cannot be forced to work more than 48 hours a week on average but can agree to work beyond this limit.
	Many factors contribute to well-being of which one of the most important is that people have access to employment, so it is critical that European employment measures enhance and do not undermine prospects for employment and for growth. This will continue to be one of the key assessments of any consideration of the European working time directive.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has had discussions with  (a) his officials,  (b) Ministerial colleagues and  (c) industry representatives on the potential effects on (i) carbon reduction targets and (ii) costs to business of changes to the carbon reduction commitment system.

Gregory Barker: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have discussed and continue to discuss the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme with a range of stakeholders, including participants in the scheme. My officials are also meeting a wide range of interested parties. We published a consultation paper on a first tranche of simplifications to the CRC in November last year which was produced in close co-operation with Whitehall and devolved Administration colleagues.
	The changes to the scheme announced last year including the initial simplification measures set out in the consultation paper will not impact on the emissions savings potential of this scheme nor the capacity for the UK to meet its carbon budgets.
	The cost impact on business of our initial changes to the CRC will depend on the extent to which participants reduce their energy consumption before they are required to purchase and surrender allowances in 2012. As previously announced, it is our intention to deliver further simplification of the CRC and detailed options are being discussed with CRC participants.

Carbon Emissions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent progress he has made on the implementation of the carbon reduction commitment.

Gregory Barker: The CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme went live on 1 April 2010. To date, 2,772 organisations have registered as full participants and over 12,812 organisations have made information declarations. Participants will need to submit their footprint reports and first annual reports in July this year, to inform the publication of the first Performance League Table in October. Government intend to hold the first sale of allowances, to cover emissions year 2011-12, in 2012 and to begin registration for the second phase of the scheme in 2013.

Energy Supply

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has made an estimate of the number of  (a) owners of private electricity and gas networks and  (b) tenants receiving electricity from private networks who will be affected by the ruling of the European Court of Justice on third party access.

Charles Hendry: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Poplar and Limehouse (Jim Fitzpatrick) on 7 December 2010,  Official report, column 130W.

Energy: Meters

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has received representations on the protection of data gathered from domestic smart meters.

Charles Hendry: As part of the Prospectus consultation on Smart Meters, published in July 2010 we have received a number of responses covering data protection. In addition industry and consumer organisations have also raised this issue in discussions.
	DECC and Ofgem are currently preparing the response to the Prospectus consultation, which will cover data protection issues in relation to the rollout of smart meters.

Energy: Meters

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the implications of the Data Protection Act 1998 for the use of data gathered from smart meters by energy companies.

Charles Hendry: holding answer 4 February 2011
	 The Data Protection Act (DPA) establishes a framework of rights and duties which are designed to safeguard personal data. A person who handles data (a data controller) must comply with the DPA.
	As part of the Smart Meters Programme there has been a rigorous approach to assessing and managing data privacy issues. We are building on the safeguards already in place, particularly the DPA, to develop a privacy policy framework for smart meters.
	The DPA applies to energy consumption data if a data controller is able to identify a living person from the data itself, or other data they may hold, eg address details. This applies to conventional and prepayment meters as well as smart meters.

Fuel Oil: Prices

Louise Bagshawe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he is taking steps to increase  (a) competition and  (b) accountability in the heating oil market.

Charles Hendry: The Government are sympathetic to the plight of many heating oil consumers who were hit hard by high prices and supply issues this winter.
	I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement laid before Parliament on 21 January 2011,  Official Report, column 55WS. I am keen that the reasons for the high heating oil prices and supply issues this winter are thoroughly investigated by an independent authority. I wrote to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in to ask it to bring forward its competition and consumer study into off-grid energy. I also asked the OFT if the study could explore the longer term consumer issues such as lifetime payback, consumer standards and labelling for alternative energy sources or supplies. Such a study would provide an independent assessment of the off-grid market and establish what further action may be necessary to ensure it works properly.
	I welcome the independent assessment of the off-grid market to be made by the OFT, and we look forward to seeing its conclusions in advance of next winter so the lessons from this winter can be learned and any necessary changes made.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to achieve its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by at least 34 per cent. by 2020.

Gregory Barker: Latest emissions projections, published in June 2010, show that the UK is on track to meet its 2020 target, and has already reduced emissions by over 26% against 1990 levels, taking into account the effects of emissions trading. Additional policies to be implemented by the Government, such as the Green Deal, support for the world's first commercial scale CCS demonstration, and the roll-out of smart meters and a smart grid will build on this progress. Further information on the actions to take forward these policies can be found in DECC's business plan (published November 2010).

Nuclear Power Stations

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects on the timetable for delivery of new nuclear build of his proposal to increase the liability cost per nuclear site on generators to cover the consequences of accidents.

Charles Hendry: A public consultation was published on 24 January, setting out our proposals to implement the amended Paris and Brussels conventions on nuclear third party liability. It included the proposed increase in liability levels that existing nuclear and prospective new build operators would be expected to cover in the event of a nuclear incident. We await responses to the consultation, however, we currently have no evidence to suggest that the proposed increases in liability will affect the pathway to the commercial operation of the first new nuclear power station by 2018.

Renewable Energy

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the use of used cooking oil in the provision of renewable and sustainable energy  (a) for transport,  (b) for heat and  (c) in combined heat and power.

Charles Hendry: Figures from the Renewable Fuels Agency and Ofgem for the use of used cooking oil in 2009-10 in renewable energy are as follows:
	 (a) 43 million litres of biofuel for transport was derived from used cooking oil, representing about 3% of the total volume of biofuels supplied.
	 (b) data are not collected which would identify the use of used cooking oil in heat only applications.
	 (c) 960,000 litres have been used in combined heat and power applications, which represents about 70% of used cooking oil in the renewables obligation.

Renewable Energy

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which energy-from-waste producers and project developers have been contacted by his Department as part of its review of the renewables obligation banding system with regard to the deployment potential and generation costs of renewable electricity targets.

Charles Hendry: The following energy from waste producers and project developers have been contacted by consultants acting on DECC's behalf to collect data on technology costs and deployment potential as part of the current Renewables Obligation Banding Review:
	Covanta
	Veolia
	Sita/Cofely
	Viridor
	WRG
	Amey
	Orchid-environmental
	Fichtner
	Other organisations with an interest in the Banding Review are welcome to contact DECC, either now or as part of the statutory consultation later this year.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many installations of  (a) solar photovoltaic panels,  (b) wind turbines and  (c) mini hydro-generators have occurred in (i) Glasgow, (ii) Scotland, (iii) England, (iv) Wales and (v) Northern Ireland since the establishment of the feed-in tariff scheme.

Charles Hendry: Data from Ofgem show that, since the establishment of the feed-in tariffs (FITs) scheme, the number of solar photovoltaic (PV), wind and hydro installations accredited for FITs in Glasgow, Scotland, England and Wales up to 31 December 2010 are:
	
		
			   Glasgow  Scotland  England  Wales 
			 Solar PVs 11 376 13,662 562 
			 Wind 0 145 194 24 
			 Hydro 0 11 21 13 
		
	
	These exclude schemes transferred into the FITs from the RO which were in operation before 15 July 2009. Information for Glasgow refers to the area covered by Glasgow council local authority. The data also exclude an additional 55 stations for which the location is yet to be identified.
	Figures are not provided for Northern Ireland because the FITs scheme applies only to England, Scotland and Wales.

Sheffield Forgemasters: Finance

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether any concerns were raised with him by  (a) his officials and  (b) other individuals and organisations in respect of the likely effects on the supply chain of the decision to withdraw the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters (i) before and (ii) after the loan was withdrawn.

Charles Hendry: The number of representations received from individuals and organisations on the decision to withdraw the loan to Sheffield Forgemasters were included in my written ministerial statement laid before Parliament on 3 February 2011,  Official Report, column 49WS.
	Officials provide me with advice on a wide range of issues including this.
	I meet regularly with energy companies and reactor vendors who have not said that this decision will impact on the plans they have announced for new nuclear in the UK. Ultra heavy forgings for items such as pressure vessels need to be ordered a long time in advance and vendors already have slots booked with existing suppliers to ensure that when they are building reactors around the world the necessary elements are available.

HEALTH

Cancer: Screening

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of implementation of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill on the time taken by GPs to refer patients for diagnostic tests for cancer.

Paul Burstow: The Department has established a rolling programme of general practitioner (GP) consortium pathfinders to test the different elements involved in GP-led commissioning, such as the commissioning of diagnostic services, and to enable emerging GP consortia to get more rapidly involved in current commissioning decisions. The shadow National Health Service Commissioning Board will produce and publish an analysis of the findings of the pathfinder programme and set out the lessons learned that will be applied as consortia become formally established during 2012-13, subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill 2011.
	'Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer', published on 12 January, set out how the coalition government's reforms of health and care services will improve outcomes for all cancer patients. A copy has already been placed in the Library. To support the NHS to diagnose cancer earlier, we are providing £450 million over the next four years that will give GPs direct access to a range of diagnostic tests to confirm or rule out cancer and fund associated cancer treatments in secondary care. It will be the role of GP consortia to commission these additional tests.
	The strategy also confirmed that the current cancer waiting time standards are clinically justified and should be retained. This means patients urgently referred with suspected cancer by their GP should be seen by a specialist within two weeks, and should receive their first treatment within 31 days from the decision to treat being made.

Carers

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on the provision of carers' services in England; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Ministers have had internal discussions, including the Inter-Ministerial Group in July 2010, about future support for carers in addition to meetings with voluntary and statutory sector organisations, and carers themselves. These included: a visit to BT to discuss flexible working in the workplace in August 2010; a visit to a Princess Royal Trust for Carers Centre in the North West in November 2010; a speech and question and answer at the Carers UK National Carers Summit in November 2010; and attendance at the Social Care Reference Group in December 2010, with the next meeting planned for March 2011.
	The Standing Commission on Carers (SCOC) is an independent advisory body, which meets quarterly, and provides expert advice to Ministers and the Carers Strategy Cross-Government Programme Board on improving support for carers and on the longer-term strategic challenges. SCOC's membership reflects a broad range of interests and expertise from across the public, professional and voluntary sectors. The Minister plans to attend the next SCOC meeting in March 2011.
	In respect of the call for views leading to the development of "Recognised, valued and supported: Next steps for the Carers Strategy", we received responses from 764 individuals and organisations. We took account of these responses when we were drafting the new strategy and deciding on our priorities for carers over the next four years.

Cataracts: Medical Treatments

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been made available for the NHS for eye lens treatments in financial year 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Treatment services for ophthalmic conditions are funded from primary care trusts' (PCTs) general recurrent revenue allocations, in common with most other elements of health care. General allocations are not attributed to specific services centrally. Individual PCTs decide the distribution of resources, after taking account of local and national priorities.

Dental Services

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of primary dental care providers had registered with the Care Quality Commission by 31 December 2010.

Simon Burns: Primary dental care providers are required to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from 1 April 2011. To qualify for suspension of the offence of carrying on a regulated activity without being registered if CQC does not reach a registration decision by 1 April, transitional regulations specified that providers should submit their application by a specific date. In the case of national health service providers of primary dental care, CQC sets this date. In the case of independent sector providers, this date was set in the regulations at 31 December 2010. As CQC set the application date for the majority of providers, figures are not available for the numbers of providers who had submitted an application by 31 December 2010.
	As at 2 February 2011, 7,005 primary dental care providers had submitted an application for registration. Of the 8,498 primary dental care providers in England invited to apply for registration, 82% have submitted an application to register with the Commission.

Doctors: Training

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that junior doctors receive adequate time for training.

Anne Milton: We are aware of the concerns that implementing the European working time directive (EWTD) might have adverse implications for postgraduate medical training. Medical Education England (the Government's independent advisory body on medical education and training) commissioned a report on the impact of EWTD on the quality of training. We welcomed the publication of 'Time for Training' by Professor Sir John Temple, available at:
	www.mee.nhs.uk
	and Medical Education England have been asked to take the lead in implementing the changes to improve training practices in line with the recommendations. We will also support colleagues from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills in taking a robust approach to future negotiations on the directive to achieve greater flexibility.

Doctors: Training

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the availability of hospital placements for trainee doctors.

Anne Milton: Strategic health authorities (SHAs) are responsible for commissioning training places. SHA plans for specialty medical training posts in hospitals for 2011 were agreed in November 2010, with recruitment commencing in December, taking into account the report from the Centre for Workforce Intelligence "Recommendations for medical specialty training 2011", which can be found at:
	www.cfwi.org.uk/intelligence/projects/recommendation-for-medical-specialty-training-2011
	SHA plans are received and reviewed by a joint working group of clinical and service leads who advise the Medical Education England Medical Programme Board.

Family Practitioner Services

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements his Department proposes for the future of  (a) pay and  (b) provision for (i) GP practices, (ii) dentists, (iii) opticians and (iv) pharmacists under his proposals to reform the NHS.

Simon Burns: We set out our view on the future of pay and terms and conditions in the NHS White Paper, "Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS". In the short term those staff directly employed by the national health service will be covered by the Government's pay policy for all public sector workers, with a pay freeze proposed for two years from 2011-12 for those earning more than £21,000. In the longer term, the Government believes that pay decisions should be led by health care employers rather than imposed by the Government and that, in the future, all individual employers will have the right to determine pay for their own staff, as is the case now with foundation trusts.
	The majority of general practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors who hold contracts for providing services. Their pay is determined within the Doctors and Dentists Review Body recommendations on their contract values. These contract values have been frozen for two years in line with the Government's pay freeze.
	Like GPs, dentists are, for the most part, self-employed contractors, and their pay is determined within the Doctors and Dentists Review Body recommendations on their contract values.
	The funding provided for the community pharmacy contractual framework is currently determined by the Department, informed by negotiations with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee.
	The level of reimbursement to opticians for NHS sight tests is determined following consultation by the Department with bodies representative of optical providers.
	In the longer term, the NHS Commissioning Board will take on responsibility for contracting with all independent sector primary care contractors and through their commissioning decisions will determine fees and reimbursements to these contractors. In doing so, they will continue to be informed by relevant independent pay review bodies.
	Staff employed by independent contractors are subject to local pay and conditions as determined by the contractor. It is a matter for the contractor to determine if a contract is offered in line with model recommendations or a separately negotiated pay agreement is made.

General Practitioners

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) civil servants,  (b) special advisers and  (c) other individuals employed by his Department have had discussions with (i) any private healthcare companies and (ii) Tribal on GP commissioning consortia.

Simon Burns: Senior civil servants and special advisers have had discussions with a wide range of interested parties on general practitioner (GP) commissioning consortia, including GPs, charitable organisations, professional organisations and private companies, including Tribal.

Health Education

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure his Department has incurred on the Change4Life programme in each of the last five years; and what contributions to the programme were received from private sector organisations in each such year.

Anne Milton: In the past two financial years (2008-09 and 2009-10) for which there are complete records of, approximately £50 million was spent on Change4life by the Department.
	The Change4Life 'One Year On' report states that in the 2009-10 financial year the in-kind contributions to the Change4Life campaign by private sector organisations were valued at £7.5 million.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make pulse checks a routine procedure within the NHS Health Check programme as a means of identifying arrhythmia; and what steps he is taking to raise awareness of this issue.

Simon Burns: The NHS Health Check programme is a national risk assessment and management programme that assesses people aged 40 to 74 for their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Everyone having a NHS Health Check will be supported to manage their risk of these diseases through individually tailored lifestyle advice and support, and appropriate follow up to help them stay well for longer. Those diagnosed with previously undetected disease will receive earlier management, improving their health outcomes for the future.
	The modelling undertaken by the Department that underpins the programme shows it to be clinically and cost-effective. A test for atrial fibrillation-the most common arrhythmia-is not currently included as part of the set of tests and measurements for the NHS Health Check programme.
	Primary care trusts (PCT) may however decide to extend the range and scope of their programmes to include taking the pulse in older age groups to identify atrial fibrillation. In making this decision, PCTs will need to consider the costs incurred balanced with the potential benefits.
	NHS Improvement is undertaking a programme of work to improve the detection and treatment of atrial fibrillation (characterised by a fast and erratic heartbeat).

Hospices: Children

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future of  (a) funding for children's hospices under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 and  (b) the Hospice-at-Home Grant.

Anne Milton: The Department is supportive of the children's hospice movement and has given an annual hospice grant to the sector for five years. A review of palliative care funding is being undertaken to make palliative care more equitable and to better enable patients to choose how and from whom they receive their care. This is due to report in the summer. Professor Sir Alan Craft leads on the children's element of this review.
	£10 million for 2011-12 has been allocated to support hospices during the transition to this new scheme.
	Up to £30 million has been made available to the children's palliative care sector for 2010-11-this funding is directly supporting local services, including hospices.
	The Department does provide some grant funding to the voluntary sector, using section 64 powers, principally through the Innovation, Excellence and Service Development (IESD) Fund. The fund is open to organisations who can apply annually, providing they meet the relevant criteria.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on waiting list initiatives in the latest quarter for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many posts of  (a) surgeons,  (b) anaesthetists,  (c) nurses,  (d) consultant surgeons and  (e) registrars were funded through waiting list initiatives in the latest quarter for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department has not centrally funded waiting list initiatives in the last quarter. It is for the national health service to agree locally with clinicians any incentive or reward schemes designed to support the overall aim of ensuring that patients receive the care that best suits their needs.
	The Department does not collect information on how much has been spent on local waiting list initiatives or on how many posts were funded by such initiatives.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future  (a) collection and  (b) publication of data on waiting times for operations and diagnostic tests.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Wigan (Lisa Nandy), the hon. Member for St Helens North (Mr Watts), and the hon. Member for Makerfield (Yvonne Fovargue) on 31 January 2011,  Official Report, column 630W.

Infant Foods

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effects on infant health of  (a) synthesised forms of docosahexaenoic acid used in formula milk and  (b) docosahexaenoic acid in breast milk.

Anne Milton: The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment assessed the effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and other long chain omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) on infant health, specifically on early human growth and cognitive function. They concluded that evidence to support a relationship between intake of infant formula supplemented with DHA and other LC n-3 PUFA and cognitive function and behavioural development in healthy full term infants is unclear. A further research study commissioned by the Food Standards Agency in 2004 also reported similar findings that are consistent with these conclusions. The Department has not specifically assessed the effect of DHA in breast milk on cognitive function and development of healthy infants.

Malaria: Drugs

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the availability of prescriptions for malaria prophylaxis on the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Malaria prophylaxis are a travel medicine and are not routinely available for free on the national health service. Anti-malarial medicines are a prescription only medicine and general practitioners (GPs) normally provide access to these medicines by way of private prescriptions. The same drugs that are used for prophylaxis are also used for treatment. In those circumstances, they are available on NHS prescriptions.

Maternity Services

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the take-up of perinatal healthcare by  (a) socio-economic group and  (b) ethnicity;
	(2)  what arrangements are in place to advertise the availability of perinatal care in  (a) Haringey,  (b) London and  (c) England.

Anne Milton: The best measure of take up of maternity services available is from the NHS maternity statistics. Details of hospital deliveries by ethnicity are in the following table. The NHS maternity statistics do not include details of socio-economic status.
	
		
			  Ethnic group  Number of deliveries( 1)  Percentage of total deliveries 
			 White 463,016 77.6 
			 Asian or Asian British 65,782 11.0 
			 Black or Black British 35,152 5.9 
			 Chinese and Other 21,853 3.7 
			 Mixed 10,492 1.8 
			 Total 596,295 100 
			 (1) Deliveries where ethnic group of mother is unknown have been excluded.  Source: NHS Maternity Statistics 2009-10, NHS Information Centre. 
		
	
	Maternity services are available to women in Haringey via direct access or referral from a general practitioner (GP). Information about direct access to midwifery services is available on hospital trust websites and has been widely disseminated via children's centres, general practice and related services such as contraceptive and sexual health services. GPs are aware of local maternity services as well as the importance of early access, receiving regular training and updates from the maternity and obstetric teams through GP meetings and educational sessions. GPs discuss access to specialised services with women according to need as they progress through the perinatal service. Patterns of provision and advertising of services are local matters but similar patterns exist throughout England.

Maternity Services: Greater London

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made provision for specialist perinatal healthcare in  (a) the London borough of Haringey and  (b) Greater London.

Anne Milton: The best measure of take-up of maternity services available is from the NHS maternity statistics. Details of hospital deliveries by ethnicity are in the following table. The NHS maternity statistics do not include details of socioeconomic status.
	
		
			  Ethnic group  Number of deliveries( 1)  Percentage of total deliveries 
			 White 463,016 77.6 
			 Asian or Asian British 65,782 11.0 
			 Black or Black British 35,152 5.9 
			 Chinese and Other 21,853 3.7 
			 Mixed 10,492 1.8 
			 Total 596,295 100 
			 (1) Deliveries where ethnic group of mother is unknown have been excluded.  Source: NHS Maternity Statistics 2009-10, NHS Information Centre 
		
	
	Maternity services are available to women in Haringey via direct access or referral from a general practitioner (GP). Information about direct access to midwifery services is available on hospital trust websites and has been widely disseminated via children's centres, general practice and related services such as contraceptive and sexual health services. GPs are aware of local maternity services as well as the importance of early access, receiving regular training and updates from the maternity and obstetric teams through GP meetings and educational sessions. GPs discuss access to specialised services with women according to need as they progress through the perinatal service. Patterns of provision and advertising of services are local matters but similar patterns exist throughout England.

Midwives: Manpower

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of midwife numbers in  (a) Norfolk,  (b) the East of England and  (c) England.

Simon Burns: Midwives in Norfolk are employed at either the Norfolk and Norwich University hospital or the Queen Elizabeth hospital, King's Lynn. The numbers of midwives at the two hospitals are as follows:
	 Norfolk and Norwich University hospital
	Establishment: 161.76 whole time equivalent (WTE) midwives.
	Vacancies: 2.24 WTE fixed-term vacancies caused by secondments to other organisations
	Unfilled vacancies: 1.07 WTE.
	Three newly created specialist midwife posts are currently being advertised.
	The current ratio of midwives to patients at Norfolk and Norwich University hospital is 1:32, which will improve once the small number of vacancies is filled.
	 Queen Elizabeth hospital, King's Lynn
	Establishment: 72 WTE midwives
	Vacancies: Two specialist midwives are being recruited.
	Once the two specialist midwives have been recruited, the hospital anticipates it will meet the 1:30 ratio.
	Information on the number of midwives in the East of England is shown in the following table. The table shows the starting staff in post as at September 2008, the target based on the local Birth Rate Plus (BRP) assessment and the current staff in post numbers as at December 2010. The table also shows the growth achieved so far and further growth required.
	
		
			  Staff in post, full-time equivalent (FTE) 
			   Staff in post FTE census 2008  Required establishment FTE by November 2011 as per BRP  Current staff in po st FTE as per the SHA monitoring returns  Growth actual between September 2008 and December 2010  Growth required to achieve BRP target by November 2011 from December 2010 
			  Trust  September 2008  November 2008  December 2010  FTE  Percentage  FTE  Percentage 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University hospital 149 216 180 31 21 36 20 
			 Queen Elizabeth hospital 62 75 70 8 14 5 7 
			 James Paget University Hospital Foundation Trust 68 72 77 9 14 n/a n/a 
			 East of England Total 1,723 2,365 2,054 331 19 311 15 
			  Note:  None of the above figures are Department of Health-verified.  Source:  DoH census 2008 data sourced by East of England SHA and the SHA's own information. 
		
	
	The latest NHS Workforce census as at 30 September 2009 shows there 26,451 (20,236 FTE) midwives working in the national health service in England. The next NHS Workforce census showing the September 2010 figures will be published in late March 2011.
	The number of midwives in training in 2009-10 is 2,482, which is a record level. The planned number of trainees in 2010-11 is 2,493 and we expect this level to be maintained into the future subject to further changes in the forecast birth rate and changes in the way services are delivered.
	This will result in a sustained increase in new midwives available to enter the service over the next few years.

Midwives: Manpower

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacant places there were on midwifery courses in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: This information is not collected centrally.
	The nearest information we have available is the number of midwifery training places commissioned over the last 10 years.
	The following table shows the number of national health service midwifery training places commissioned since 1999.
	
		
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Degree 395 494 621 709 753 895 1,042 983 1,307 1,945 1,977 1,967 
			 Diploma 620 604 525 724 716 744 517 540 412 0 0 0 
			 Other 757 789 732 677 757 735 661 467 352 328 505 526 
			 Total 1,772 1,887 1,878 2,110 2,226 2,374 2,220 1,990 2,071 2,274 2,482 2,493 
			  Source: Quarterly Monitoring Returns.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry on potential changes to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence as proposed in the Health and Social Care Bill.

Simon Burns: Ministers and departmental officials meet frequently with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and issues relating to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence are often among those discussed.

NHS Commissioning Board

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether an ophthalmic services specialist will be appointed to the proposed NHS Commissioning Board.

Simon Burns: The Health and Social Care Bill sets out details about the membership of the NHS Commissioning Board.
	The board itself will determine its own appointments but will include people with a range of skills and experience.

NHS: Contracts

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of cancelling operating contracts for  (a) 2011,  (b) 2012,  (c) 2013 and  (d) 2014.

Simon Burns: Records are not held centrally for all contracts entered into with other national health service bodies, private sector companies or the voluntary sector for the provision of goods and services in the NHS or estimates of future cancellation costs on these contracts. To collect this information from all local NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) would incur disproportionate cost.
	All NHS trusts and the Department must report all abortive costs over £250,000 in value incurred in abandoned or scaled down projects in their annual report and accounts which are available locally.

NHS: Finance

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase the uptake of personal budgets and direct payments for the purposes of encouraging integration between care services.

Paul Burstow: The "Vision for Adult Social Care: Capable Communities and Active Citizens" sets the context for the future direction of adult social care in England. It states that councils should provide personal budgets, preferably as a direct payment, for everyone eligible, by 2013.
	Reflecting the commitments in the vision, the Department has committed to various actions. The Department is planning to issue directions to councils later this year, to strengthen legislation requiring councils to make direct payments in respect of the person securing provision of a relevant service, where the conditions are satisfied, and with the person's consent. Building on this expansion, we want to make it possible to combine personal health budgets with personal budgets in the future, subject to the evaluation of the pilot sites in 2012.
	Local government and the provider sector have produced the partnership agreement "Think Local, Act Personal" in January. The agreement, focusing on personalisation of services, consolidates lessons learned over the past three years within a new financial context that requires efficient, effective and integrated service delivery, including personal budgets, across health and social care.
	In future, councils will take the lead role in drawing up joint strategic needs assessments, which will shape the commissioning of health, social care and health improvement services. This may include aligning funding streams locally, including personal health budgets and personal budgets.

NHS: Finance

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding he has provided for integration between health services and social care services since May 2010.

Paul Burstow: The Government have announced various policy and legislative changes to support integration between health and social care. The Department has made available a number of new funding streams to support the coalition programme commitment on integration, including as part of the 2010 spending review, which have been allocated to the national health service in order to support social care and improve joint working between the two systems.
	Details about this funding have been set out in a letter from David Behan and David Flory to NHS and local authority chief executives, which can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_123460
	A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library.
	The following table summarises the funding which has been allocated for joint working.
	
		
			  Purpose  2010-11   (£ million)  2011-12   (£ million)  2012-13   (£ million)  How the funding should be used 
			 Development of post-discharge support and re-ablement services 70 150 300 To work with local authorities to develop local re-ablement capacity, according to local plans submitted to strategic health authority in December 2010. Funding may be transferred to local partners or pooled budgets. It is for local discretion the proportion of spend on the NHS and social care. 
			 To support social care services 162 648 622 Funding must be transferred to local authorities, to spend on social care services which also benefit health, primary care trusts (PCTs) and local authorities should jointly agree how the funding should be spent and the outcomes to be achieved. 
		
	
	For 2013-14 and 2014-15, the health system has been allocated £1.1 billion and £1 billion respectively to support social care. Details of how this funding will be allocated will be announced in due course.
	The NHS Operating Framework for 2011 reinforces the coalition government's commitment to integration and joint working. It sets out some specific areas where joint working with local authorities is important and where pooled budget arrangements should be considered. It sets out a requirement for NHS organisations to make progress on the National Dementia Strategy including the four priority areas set out in the implementation plan published in September 2010. Recognised, valued and supported: next steps for the Carers Strategy should also be considered, with PCTs pooling budgets to provide carers breaks, as far as possible, via direct payments or personal health budgets. An additional £400 million is being made available over four years for this purpose.

NHS: Overtime

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of overtime payments for  (a) consultants,  (b) surgeons and  (c) other NHS staff in the most recent quarter for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: National health service staff earnings estimates are published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care. The published information covers earnings of medical staff and only those non medical staff under Agenda for Change contractual arrangements. Reliable information on cost to the NHS of overtime payments for consultants, surgeons and other NHS staff is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

NHS: Re-organisation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the future viability of NHS trusts which will become foundation trusts in cases where the trust would not have met the existing criteria of Monitor to do so.

Simon Burns: The coalition government are committed to all national health service trusts achieving foundation trust status by April 2014. The requirements trusts must demonstrate to achieve the foundation trust status will not be reduced in any way.
	For those trusts who for some reason may not be financially or clinically viable as a stand-alone organisation, and thus unable to meet the criteria to achieve foundation trust status, action plans are being developed.
	These plans may include organisational change, such as a merger or acquisition with another trust or foundation trust, where this will support the trust achieving foundation status, as part of another organisation, by April 2014.

NHS: Re-organisation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely cost of redundancy payments following the proposed abolition of  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) strategic health authorities under the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Simon Burns: The Government estimates the redundancy costs as £768 million for primary care trusts and £84 million for strategic health authorities. Fuller details are given in the "co-ordinating document" for the impact assessment for the Health and Social Care Bill, which is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsLegislation/DH_123583
	A copy has already been placed in the Library.

NHS: Training

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with stakeholder organisations on the potential effects of the  (a) Higher Education (Basic Amount) (England) Regulations 2010 and  (b) Higher Education (Higher Amount) (England) Regulations 2010 on the NHS Bursary Scheme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the NHS Bursary Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health has had discussions with the Minister of State for Universities and Science and my officials have met with stakeholder organisations about the proposed changes to the funding arrangements for undergraduate education and the impact on students who are eligible for an NHS bursary. We will continue to work together with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to understand the impact of the changes and consider if the NHS bursary scheme arrangements remain appropriate.

NHS: Training

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to make an announcement on the NHS Bursary Review; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the existing NHS bursary arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The review of NHS student support considered the existing NHS Bursary Scheme arrangements and whether changes to the scheme are required. We plan to make an announcement on the outcome of the review in due course.

Obesity: Departmental Coordination

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with  (a) the Secretary of State for Education and  (b) the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on the effect of activity levels on obesity in children.

Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health has met with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport on 25 November 2010. Following on from this discussion the Department of Health agreed to provide up to £20 million over the next two years to support levels of participation in the School Games by primary schools, and to create further opportunities for those who are least active and to deliver important health benefits associated with physical activity.

Palliative Care: Drugs

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS takes a systematic and safe approach to the prescribing of terminal care drugs.

Simon Burns: Guidance for prescribers on the appropriate use of medicines for patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment is included in the British National Formulary, which is made available free of charge to national health service prescribers. This includes advice on the medicines that can be used for terminal care patients and the training that staff are required to undertake before administering them.

Plastic Surgery

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the  (a) level of availability and  (b) effects on NHS budgets of cosmetic surgery on the NHS in the most recent quarter for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Very few, if any, purely cosmetic surgery treatments are undertaken on the national health service. The only information available at national level relates to the total number of treatments by plastic surgeons, of which the vast majority will be for reasons of genuine clinical need. The information for the most recent available quarters is in the following table.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes (FCEs)( 1)  for consultants in plastic surgery( 2) .  Provisional data( 3)  for quarters ending June 2010 and September 2010 and full year 2009-10 (April to March) 
			  Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			  Period  Count of FCEs 
			 April-June 2010(3) 63,318 
			 July-September 2010(3) 65,275 
			 2009-10 248,441 
			 (1) FCE A FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2) Consultant main specialty The specialty under which the consultant responsible for the care of the patient at that time is registered. (3) Provisional data The data are provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset; the data shown have not been adjusted to allow for this possible shortfall, which will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Post-natal Depression

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women were diagnosed with post-natal depression in each year since 2000.

Paul Burstow: The majority of women diagnosed with post-natal depression will be treated in primary care. Information is not collected centrally about diagnoses for any condition in primary care, so reliable data is not available about the number of women with post-natal depression. However, the NHS Information Centre's mental health minimum dataset (MHMDS) focuses on adults accessing secondary mental health care. The following table shows the number of women who have been diagnosed with either post-natal mental health problems or post-natal depression in the MHMDS.
	
		
			   Mental disorders associated with the puerperium (commencing within six weeks of delivery) that do not meet the criteria for disorders classified elsewhere  Depression: postnatal( 1) , postpartum( 1) 
			 2006-07 267 113 
			 2007-08 266 113 
			 2008-09 247 98 
			 2009-10 318 101 
			 (1) Not otherwise specified.  Source: MHMDS annual returns.

Primary Health Care: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the change in the number of posts in primary care trusts and their successor bodies in the North East following implementation of his healthcare reforms.

Simon Burns: The Government estimate that, on average across the country, around 60% of existing staff in primary care trusts and strategic health authorities would transfer to jobs in general practitioner consortia, the NHS Commissioning Board, and other bodies. We do not have a breakdown of the figures by region.
	The full assumptions are described in the "co-ordinating document" for the impact assessment for the Health and Social Care Bill, which is available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsLegislation/DH_123583
	A copy has already been placed in the Library.

Public Health England: Finance

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likely funding allocation to Public Health England in each of the first five years following its inception;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of NHS expenditure on areas which are to be the responsibility of Public Health England in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: We are currently consulting on the functions and services to be funded through the public health budget and commissioning routes in 'Healthy Lives, Healthy People: consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health'. The responses to the consultation on functions and services will be important in helping determine the future budget for Public Health England.
	The Department is working to establish baseline spending on activities that will be funded from the public health budget in the future. Building on the proposed commissioning responsibilities in the consultation document, early estimates suggest that current spend by the Department, its arm's length bodies, strategic health authorities and primary care trusts on areas that are likely to be the responsibility of Public Health England could be over £4 billion. However, this estimate is subject to further significant revision. In particular, as responses to the consultation on the responsibilities to be funded from the public health budget lead to revisions in the design of the service, the estimated spend and future budgets will be revised. Comparable data for earlier years are not available.

Strokes

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his contribution of 31 January 2011,  Official Report, column 605, on the Health and Social Care Bill, what the evidential basis is for his estimate that 4,000 lives could be saved every year if NHS outcomes for stroke were as good as the European average; and if he will place in the Library a copy of such evidence.

Simon Burns: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Strokes: Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to extend the provisions of the Stroke Quality Standard to cover community-based rehabilitation, longer-term support and social care services for stroke patients.

Simon Burns: It is for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to determine the content and scope of its stroke Quality Standard. It does so after a public consultation and within a remit set by the Secretary of State.
	The stroke standard was developed with input from clinicians and patients. Details of the process NICE used can be found on the Institute's website at:
	www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/qualitystandards
	The current Health and Social Care Bill includes provision to extend NICE'S role to cover social care when it is re-established.

Strokes: Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to ensure that GP consortia are skilled in the commissioning of strategic stroke services.

Simon Burns: The NHS Commissioning Board will support general practitioner consortia in their commissioning decisions. The board will provide leadership for quality improvement through commissioning. This will include setting commissioning guidelines on the basis of clinically approved quality standards developed with advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and in the case of stroke, the national stroke strategy, in a way that promotes joint working across health, public health and social care.
	Furthermore, the Health and Social Care Bill provides for consortia to work collaboratively on commissioning by, for example, entering into lead commissioner and pooled budgetary arrangements.

Strokes: Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to incorporate the main elements of the National Stroke Strategy into future guidance issued by the National Commissioning Board.

Simon Burns: The NHS Commissioning Board will have a vital role in providing national leadership for driving up the quality of care across health commissioning, including stroke services. The board will do this by supporting general practitioner consortia in a number of ways including:
	publishing evidence based commissioning guidance and model care pathways building on the national stroke strategy and the recently published National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence quality standard for stroke as appropriate; and
	designing the Commissioning Outcomes Framework and the new quality premium.
	It will be for the board to determine the details of its work programme and the content of commissioning guidance.

Strokes: Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that the provision of stroke services remains a priority for the NHS following the implementation of his plans to reform the NHS.

Simon Burns: Stroke remains a priority for the national health service and as such features in the 2011-12 NHS Operating Framework.
	Stroke also features in a number of domains of the NHS Outcome Framework. This is the mechanism by which the Secretary of State for Health will hold the NHS Commissioning Board to account when it is established.
	These measures will ensure that tackling stroke and improving stroke care will remain firmly on the NHS's agenda.

CABINET OFFICE

EU Grants and Loans

Mark Reckless: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will bring forward proposals to publish details of each UK project in receipt of over £25,000 of EU funds.

Francis Maude: There are currently no plans to bring forward specific proposals to publish details of each UK project in receipt of over £25,000 of EU funds. However we are currently arguing for the domestic principles of transparency, value for money and sound financial management to be applied at EU level.
	In the interim, a Consolidated Statement on the use of EU funds in the UK is published annually. Indeed the 2008-09 financial year Consolidated Statement was laid before Parliament on 19 January 2011.

Gross National Product

John Stevenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of gross national product was accounted for by the  (a) financial and  (b) manufacturing sector in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding the proportion of Gross National Product accounted for by the financial and manufacturing sectors in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010.
	Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has replaced Gross National Product as the main indicator of output of the economy. The figures requested are shown in the table below for the calendar years 2008 to 2010.
	
		
			  Contribution to total GDP 
			  Percentage 
			   2008  2009  2010 
			 Financial Sector 7.0 7.1 7.7 
			 Manufacturing Sector 14.3 13.3 12.8

Public Bodies

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2011,  Official Report, column 315W, on public bodies, what consideration he gave to including  (a) efficiency and  (b) value for money as criteria to be applied in the review of public bodies.

Francis Maude: The first stage of the review process was to consider whether the functions currently carried out by public bodies should be delivered by government. Ensuring government do not undertake activities which are not needed must be the first step in delivering value for money. Reducing duplication of effort and simplifying structures, as this review is doing, are also key tenets of efficiency and value for money.

Public Bodies

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2011,  Official Report, column 827, on public bodies, how much more than £500 million a year he expects to save in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Francis Maude: Departments are currently working through the estimated costs and savings related to this complex package of reforms with support from HM Treasury and Cabinet Office. These are the most significant reforms of public bodies for a generation and we need to ensure implementation is carried out effectively and systematically.

Public Bodies

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2011,  Official Report, column 828, on public bodies, what steps he plans to take to make the code for public bodies watertight.

Francis Maude: The Public Administration Select Committee in their report "Smaller Government: Shrinking the Quango State" make a number of recommendations on strengthening the rules relating to public bodies and lobbying. We will respond formally to the committee's recommendations, setting out our proposals in full, in due course.

Public Sector: Procurement

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he has taken to encourage public sector bodies to give priority to local businesses in their procurement policies.

Francis Maude: To safeguard the public purse, procurers are required to seek value for money through fair and open competition. Through our membership of the European Union and as a signatory to international agreements, our contracting authorities are required to treat suppliers from Europe and various other countries on an equal footing with UK suppliers. This is a two-way street, however, as it gives our suppliers access to public procurement markets overseas.
	The Government of course want UK companies, including our small businesses, to be successful in public procurement. To that end, I announced on 1 November a series of measures to make it easier for small firms to compete for government business. Details can be found on the Cabinet Office website:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/news/plans-open-government-small-businesses

Unemployment: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many unemployed young people aged 16 to 25 years there were in each region in each of the last 12 months; and what proportion of young people this represented in each such month.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated February 2011:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many unemployed young people aged 16-25 years there were in each region in each of the last 12 months; and what proportion of young people this represented in each such month. (38577)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	Table 1 shows the levels and proportions of young people aged 16-24 years who were unemployed and resident in each government office region. Data has been provided for the most recent APS period, July 2009 to June 2010. APS proportions have been calculated using 16-24 economically active population.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	Because the APS only provides an annual figure additionally Table 2 shows the number and proportions of young people aged 16 to 24 claiming Jobseeker's Allowance resident in each government office region during the last 12 months up to the latest period available in December 2010. JSA proportions have been calculated using 16-24 resident population.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1 Number and proportions of people aged 16 to 24 unemployed in each government office region 
			   July 2009 to June 2010 
			   Level (thousand)  Proportion (%) 
			 North East **47 14.4 
			 North West *115 13.4 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber **87 12.7 
			 East Midlands **66 12.1 
			 West Midlands **87 13.3 
			 East **74 11.7 
			 London **119 13.2 
			 South East **99 10.4 
			 South West **67 11.3 
			 Wales *50 13.7 
			 Scotland *76 12.4 
			 Northern Ireland ***23 10.2 
			  Note: Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality : The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key: * 0 ≤ CV<5%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%-Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation  Source: Annual Population Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 Number and proportions (%) of people aged 16 to 24 claiming jobseeker's allowance resident in each Government office region 
			   North East  North West  Yorkshire and the Humber  East Midlands  West midlands  East 
			  2010  Level  %  Level  %  Level  %  Level  %  Level  %  Level  % 
			 January 28,085 8.4 64,395 7.4 51,145 7.3 36,490 6.6 56,895 8.6 35,180 5.5 
			 February 27,950 8.4 64,820 7.4 52,175 7.4 37,145 6.7 57,385 8.6 35,930 5.7 
			 March 26,800 8.0 61,925 7.1 50,015 7.1 35,715 6.5 55,040 8.3 34,750 5.5 
			 April 25,050 7.5 58,580 6.7 47,690 6.8 33,370 6.1 51,405 7.7 33,135 5.2 
			 May 23,590 7.1 55,195 6.3 45,220 6.4 30,945 5.6 47,745 7.2 30,380 4.8 
			 June 22,995 6.9 52,610 6.0 42,065 6.0 28,820 5.2 45,210 6.8 28,360 4.5 
			 July 23,320 7.0 53,495 6.1 42,480 6.0 29,120 5.3 45,695 6.9 29,160 4.6 
			 August 24,040 7.2 55,505 6.4 43,430 6.2 29,775 5.4 46,900 7.1 30,510 4.8 
			 September 25,065 7.5 56,095 6.4 43,795 6.2 30,045 5.5 47,775 7.2 30,480 4.8 
			 October 24,980 7.5 54,780 6.3 42,900 6.1 29,100 5.3 46,455 7.0 30,110 4.7 
			 November 24,430 7.3 53,070 6.1 41,935 6.0 28,255 5.1 45,490 6.9 28,950 4.6 
			 December 24,375 7.3 51,580 5.9 42,065 6.0 28,635 5.2 45,140 6.8 28,250 4.4 
		
	
	
		
			   London  South East  South West  Wales  Scotland  Northern Ireland 
			  2010  Level  %  Level  %  Level  %  Level  %  Level  %  Level  % 
			 January 54,920 6.0 45,500 4.7 28,920 4.8 28,475 7.6 42,795 6.9 17,715 7.6 
			 February 56,250 6.2 45,990 4.8 29,455 4.8 28,960 7.7 44,335 7.1 17,990 7.7 
			 March 54,935 6.0 44,085 4.6 27,930 4.6 27,875 7.5 43,335 7.0 17,805 7.7 
			 April 51,605 5.7 41,395 4.3 25,375 4.2 26,190 7.0 40,885 6.6 17,210 7.4 
			 May 49,265 5.4 37,255 3.9 22,990 3.8 24,070 6.4 39,360 6.3 16,925 7.3 
			 June 46,975 5.2 34,215 3.6 21,350 3.5 22,300 6.0 39,320 6.3 17,380 7.5 
			 July 48,825 5.4 34,555 3.6 21,675 3.6 22,895 6.1 42,230 6.8 18,505 8.0 
			 August 51,350 5.6 35,940 3.7 22,640 3.7 23,755 6.4 43,270 6.9 19,105 8.2 
			 September 52,865 5.8 35,895 3.7 22,830 3.6 23,815 6.4 38,355 6.2 19,165 8.2 
			 October 61,775 5.7 34,845 3.6 22,555 3.7 23,290 6.2 37,345 6.0 18,255 7.8 
			 November 50,020 5.5 34,290 3.6 22,840 3.8 23,145 6.2 37,520 6.0 17,575 7.6 
			 December 47,830 5.3 33,820 3.5 22,700 3.7 23,375 6.3 38,290 6.1 17,345 7.5 
			  Note: Data has been rounded to nearest five.  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system

Written Questions: Government Responses

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he plans to reply to questions 33786 and 33787 tabled on 11 January 2011 for ordinary written answer.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 27 January 2011,  Official Report, column 447W, and on 4 February 2011,  Official Report, column 978W.